Of Vulcan Suns and Burning Ice
by AidansQueen
Summary: He watches her even when she refuses to look at him. His eyes burn into her skin and tattoo a brand of ownership deeper then she's willing to admit. He has broken her heart and she refuses to let him steal her mind. Things never go according to plan though when the discovery of an old enemy puts everyone in danger.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own anything or make money from any of it and all of it belongs to those who created Star Trek.

A/N: So I had this idea for a story after reading the Star Trek Ongoing comic series and after the most recent issue I couldn't resist writing it. The idea just stuck in my head so let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy it.

As a side note I would like to add when you read this, I will warn you there is a bit of Dark/Adult stuff in it. Sometimes things might be a little disturbing from time to time but I don't believe in shallow characters. I want to explore their depth and watch them evolve and grow. So if you don't like the dark/adult genre you've come to the wrong place. Granted there will be a lot of fluff for Spock/Uhura but it will come later.

AidansQueen-

* * *

**Prologue**

She supposed in the long run she should have seen this coming. As she stood gazing out over the hot and dusty landscape of New Vulcan with the wind in her hair, a small mercy of the planets dense atmosphere against her overheated skin, she realized this had been inevitable. Spock was Vulcan and she was human, the two of them would have never worked out anyways. That logical realization did not cease the endless pain throbbing in the vicinity of her heart, nor did it ease the ache of happier memories that she couldn't help from dwelling on.

She'd risked everything for him.

She had nearly gotten herself killed on several occasions just for him, refused to abandon ship upon his orders to do so when Khan had nearly killed them all just because she refused to leave him to die alone. She had even risked her own career at Starfleet to be with him, and at the time it felt right.

Now it felt pointless.

Everything she has done, she had done for him and he had the nerve…no…the audacity to commit such a deceitful crime against her. Her blood burned in her veins hotter than the sun that scorched the plains of the dusty planet. It made her sick to her stomach to think that he'd lied to her about something so important, made her feel as if she was just some play thing to amuse him until he got married.

He made her feel used.

Somewhere behind her she heard Kirk calling her name so she turned with cool ease, for despite her rage she was determined that Spock would never see her so much as flinch in retaliation against what he'd done. The man in question was standing beside Kirk, his dark eyes boring into her though she refused to meet his gaze. His logic had been sound and firm in his apologies for his great deceit and yet she didn't care to hear it. He had been betrothed the entire time they were dating, making her feel like everything they were was nothing but a lie. She refused to look at him though he was intently staring at her, willing her to meet his gaze and defiantly she refused.

When they beamed back aboard the ship she returned to the bridge to take up her position as communications officer without a word to anyone. Kirk himself was watching her now and patting Spock on the shoulder as she walked away; his voice vaguely carrying down the corridor as she went "You really screwed up this time buddy."

* * *

**One Month Later…**

"Uhura report," Kirk's voice sounds over the comm. She adjusts her earpiece and sighs, leveling her voice so it sounded smooth and unconcerned, "atmospheric conditions stabilizing Captain, we should be able to beam you all back up to the ship just as soon as the rain stops."

"Excellent," Kirk responds, "keep me updated, Kirk out."

When her shift ends she removes the earpiece and leaves the bridge, feeling those same dark eyes boring into her back as she leaves. The owner of those dark eyes is sitting in the captain's chair watching her walk away and she refuses to acknowledge him just as she has for an entire month. He would try to speak to her, try to explain but Nyota found she did not want to hear his explanation; she instead retaliated differently. She had always loved Spock's logical train of thought, it was one of the first things that attracted her to him and yet now when he tried to use that same logic to explain his actions she felt as if he were twisting it only to suit his needs. So Nyota decided that she would take that logic and turn it against him, behaving as cool and as calm as he did. To the world Nyota Uhura was just fine, she hadn't just had her heart ripped out and crushed by a half-Vulcan hybrid that failed to mention he had a fiancée back on New Vulcan. Whenever he tried to speak to her she would respond as coolly and as logically as if she too were Vulcan. His outward reaction had been mild to say the least, a faint quirk of the eyebrow though she knew him better than that.

His dark eyes had bored into hers while they spoke both pleading and frustrated at her lack of response. She never screamed or cried and refused to ever let anyone see her do it, especially Spock. He had tried repeatedly, even after that incident, moments where he'd corner her in an empty hallway and try to reason with her though she made it perfectly clear she had no desire to hear his reasons. Days when he'd walk past her on the bridge and she feel his fingers gracefully if not deftly slide across the pulse along the inside of her wrist, felt the feather light push of his mind against hers. He was trying to see her thoughts, trying to understand what she was feeling because she would not tell him outwardly. His fingers jerked away as if burned almost instantaneously, the onslaught of her rage burning in her mind so vividly he could not meet her gaze.

He never tried to speak with her again, nor did he ever attempt to touch her again either.

* * *

**Two Months Later…**

The days were getting longer and the nights even more so. She missed him terribly, she had never realized how deeply integrated into her life he was. Nyota had never noticed how much she actually let him in and sorely wished she had never done so now. She missed sitting with him in his quarters while he played on his lyre, or sharing meals with him while they discussed the events of the day. She missed the way he'd mumble the old dialect of Vulcan into her ear as they made love, his fingers digging into her hips as he pinned her to the mattress and peppered her neck and shoulders with teeth marks. She missed the way he'd slid his hands along hers and thrill in the magnetic spark between them, the psionic energy that rolled between their joined hands. It was a thrill better than kissing; the way Vulcan's kissed was much more satisfying.

This day in particular was not so thrilling for Nyota. She had managed to retain her sense of civility when it came to Spock. Today however she felt as if he were intentionally trying to provoke her. He worked in the station beside hers and even though they'd managed a certain level of decorum as they had promised Jim that what had occurred between them would not affect their duties, Spock seemed bent on getting her to snap. She had been far more aggravated than normal, suppressing every last drop of rage she felt against Spock and keeping calm despite immeasurable odds. She silently wondered how Vulcan's managed it for so long, suppressing all their emotions until they seemed stoic and cold as she was now. She almost liked it in a way, she craved the peace it brought her because facing the pain of betrayal hurt far too much and she could not bear to feel that pain again.

"Lieutenant Uhura," Spock said flatly with his eyes on the screen in front of him, "I require further statistical analysis of the planets frequency levels to determine the precise amount of radio wave interference. Please contact Andorian command and ask them to raise they're comm units up precisely one decibel."

"Yes Commander," Nyota said obediently, ever the prompt and civil officer. She caught a flash of his hand as it passed over the wall between them and pointed at something on her screen, his hand resting near hers where she held her own outstretched, pressing the comm button. "I do not care for the level to which these frequencies are spiking, there must be an outside source inhibiting their proper operation."

Nyota was trying to listen to what he was saying but she was staring at his hand beside hers and before she could retract her hand he had caught her staring. His eyes had darkened by just a shade; she recognized that response in him almost immediately. His breathing had deepened and she knew he was frustrated, the proximity of their hands made it difficult for either of them to focus. She immediately retracted her hand and took a deep breath, her fingers dancing across the communications panel as she worked to find a signal.

She pointedly ignored the soft huff of irritation only loud enough for her to hear and focused on her task. When her shift ended she left the bridge and made her way down to the mess hall. For dinner she chose a spicy Andorian root soup and a cup of hot tea. She opted to sit by the window and eat alone, preferring the silence at the empty end of the mess hall and the bright white light of the stars just outside the window. Since she was a little girl she loved to look at the stars, marveling at their brilliance. She dreamed of different worlds and new adventures.

She had plenty of that now.

She enjoyed her job on the Enterprise despite everything that has happened to her as of late. Breaking away from her thoughts she heard Chekov's voice in the distance as he argued with the cook about the 'stay-tus of zee clem cshoder.'

"The clam chowder tasted fine to me Chekov," Uhura laughed softly; startled by the harshness of it she falls silent. She doesn't even sound real anymore when she laughs, it sounds bitter and cold too.

"Oh…I see…" Chekov nods approvingly and takes a bowl over to a nearby table.

"Nyota…" his voice says softly enough for her to hear it and Spock sits down across from her. She blinks at his presence, unaware that he'd even entered the mess hall. He must be resorting to sneaking up on her now seeing as she vacates any facility he is standing in or remains no longer than ten or twenty minutes until she feels satisfied that he doesn't get the idea that she's avoiding him.

Though she is… sort of.

He sets his food tray across from hers and stares at her, and stupidly she stares back. He doesn't seem to know what to say now that he has arrived and she's fairly certain his ears are faintly tinged green at the tips.

"Commander," she replies politely because she knows that Jim is watching them now from his seat at a nearby table. He's been watching them a lot lately, mainly because he knows how badly Spock has hurt her even if she won't admit it, and how much Spock kept trying to get her to at least talk to him. He tilts his head to the side in a very Vulcan fashion, an eyebrow arching ever so slightly at the way her tone implied formality. After a long pause he opens his mouth to speak but she cuts him off with a graceful smile and a polite nod of her head, "Apologies Commander but I must depart now, I am required in engineering."

He watches her gather her things and get up to leave with a very un-Vulcan like expression on his face, his mouth still hanging open just ever so slightly as she passed him by. His voice stops her in its gruffness, clearly struggling with both anger and frustration as her name rolls off his lips ever so softly but just loud enough unfortunately that it causes Jim to look in their direction once more.

"Lieutenant Uhura, if you would please Commander," Nyota says with cold formality. His shoulders stiffen subtly and she can see the traces of anger twisting the muscles in his back. She keeps her calm posture as he turns his head slightly to the right and tilts it, nodding in reply with his dark eyes catching hers just for a moment. She can see the beginnings of anger starting to twist its way into his outward posture and she chooses to leave in that moment before he loses control completely. It would not do for either of them if he were to have a sudden outburst in the middle of the mess hall.

* * *

**Three Months Later…**

"Lieutenant," Spock says formally with a nod in her direction as they pass each other in the hallway. She knows he has no reason to be on this level and yet here he was, waiting for her to pass by. Nyota returns the nod and addresses him politely as 'Commander' and keeps walking even when she feels his eyes on her back. She barely manages to catch the sound of Jim's voice not far behind her as he comes to stand beside Spock.

"Stalker," he says with a half smirk as he watches Uhura walk towards the shuttle bay.

When she reaches the Shuttle bay she feels the muscles in her shoulders relax. She was finally going to get off this ship and stretch her legs a bit. They are back on New Vulcan, assisting the colony with provisions of food. She and Sulu take the shuttle down to the planet's surface along with two other officers.

"Just as hot and sticky and humid as their old planet," Sulu mutters with mild disdain.

"I thought Vulcan was beautiful," Nyota replies quietly as she steps out into the heavy heat of the planet and closes her eyes, enjoying the feel of the warm sun on her skin.

"I hate dust, it gets…everywhere. You don't suppose they could send us somewhere with less dust do you?" Scotty remarks as he supervises the cargo being shipped off to the colony.

Nyota ignores him and walks around the shuttle, rolling her shoulders and stretching her neck as she enjoys the heat of the planet. It reminds her of home, back in Africa where the warm summer sun is currently scorching across the plains. She longs for home, misses the feel of that summer sun and thinks to herself that New Vulcan wouldn't be a terrible place to have shore leave.

Just because she can't stand the sight of Spock doesn't mean she hates all Vulcans.

T'Pring wasn't to blame either and she held no grudges against the beautiful Vulcan woman. T'Pring had been exceptionally beautiful and Nyota had felt the bitter sting of jealousy and sorrow knowing that he'd kept such a thing from her all this time. A loud booming sound shook her from her thoughts and she whipped around to see crates of food crashing down over the side of the truck being used to haul the food over to the colony. Two Vulcan men were bickering feverishly about it with straight faces and cool formality.

It was hard not to be amused.

"Hiyet," Nyota says flawlessly in the common Vulcan dialect, "Kroykah gyirm'l." She stares them both down intently even as they're glacial gazes meet hers. She knew how to handle Vulcan's better than she did humans and they did not intimidate her. "Riolozhikaik duh…" she admonishes coolly, "Fa-wak tor du ra karthau."

"And what is it you wish of us Lieutenant?" one of the Vulcan men said calmly in federation standard with an arched eyebrow.

"Who failed to strap these crates down properly?" Nyota demanded calmly, carefully keeping her face neutral.

"As I was explaining to my colleague, he failed to understand the use of the loading straps and miscalculated the length in which to encase the supply therefore missing the strap hook on the opposite side of the truck by approximately 3.4 centimeters," replied the sturdy of the two Vulcans.

"It does not do well for either of you to contemplate you failings," Nyota told them pointedly, "To do so would inhibit the colony of their supply therefore you will recalibrate your supply units for the extended amount of food to which you failed to account for and resume your tasks, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Lieutenant," the sturdier one replied with a nod of his head before motioning for his partner to help him pick up the crates.

"Nyota Uhura," said a gentle voice off to her left. Nyota resisted the urge to stiffen, relaxing her shoulders and smothering any emotion deep beneath the surface of her cold exterior. She turned to face T'Pring in all her Vulcan glory, the epitome of Vulcan beauty and genteel manner. T'Pring must be here with Stonn, her bondmate who is currently residing over the supply distribution for the colony.

"Lady T'Pring," Nyota replied politely with a nod, raising her hand in the traditional salute.

"I trust you are well?" she asks with a raised eyebrow, offering the same salute in return.

"I am," Nyota says with a nod, "and yourself?"

"I am well," she replies emotionlessly and Nyota wonders how Spock could have ever wanted to be married to her. Though she was as logical and as proud as any Vulcan should be she was much too cold for Spock's tastes.

"I am concerned," T'Pring begins thoughtfully, "I wish to share my concerns with you in hopes to resolve them. Would you walk with me please?"

"Of course," Nyota says with a nod of her head. The two women stroll around the drop off area, taking in the view of New Vulcan as they did so.

"I understand that you were not aware of the betrothal between Spock and I," T'Pring begins calmly. Nyota resists the urge to flinch at the mention of Spock's name and instead inhales calmly before speaking, "No, I was not."

"It is my understanding that humans do not carry the same customs as my people, therefore if you feel any illogical emotions of guilt there is no need. I merely wish to reassure you that it was only a simple misunderstanding." T'Pring says and Nyota can feel that anger burning just under the surface of her skin start to boil.

"Yes," Nyota nods calmly, "a cultural misunderstanding."

"Know that Spock had no intention of injury towards you Nyota Uhura," T'Pring adds quietly, "The customs of our people are forbidden to outsiders. I hope that you will take no offense in what Spock refrained from informing you upon. It would not have been logical to inform you upon a custom to which Terrans would have difficulty understanding."

Nyota's jaw ached from the sheer force of will stopping her from grinding her teeth together and glaring at T'Pring. Though she meant well she did not realize the insults she was slinging in Nyota's direction. "There is no offense when none is taken, Lady T'Pring," Nyota replied smoothly and took satisfaction in seeing T'Pring's expression shutter abruptly.

"If you will excuse me, Lady T'Pring, I must see to the shuttles preparation for departure back to the Enterprise." Nyota said with a polite nod, raising her hand in traditional salute before turning to leave. T'Pring did not return the salute and watched her go.

"I understand that you felt yourself a satisfactory mate to Spock but he requires one of Vulcan origin. Our numbers have dwindled greatly and it is only logical that he take a Vulcan mate now more than ever Nyota Uhura." T'Pring added as Nyota walked away.

"You're reasoning is logically sound, Lady T'Pring," Nyota agreed with cool formality, so glacial in nature that she noted a flicker of surprise in T'Pring's eyes. "I see no reason then," Nyota went on to say as she met T'Pring's gaze, "In your choice to invoke Kal-if-fee."

"It was a logical decision," T'Pring says with a raised eyebrow, "Our numbers dwindle…my choice of mate must be a logical one. Spock is only half Vulcan, therefore any children we had would retain genetic material that of a Terran. This would be unsuitable seeing as we must repopulate our species. We need pure genetic material."

Nyota sighs and shakes her head as she glances back at T'Pring, "Your loss," Nyota responds with a shrug and walks off back to the shuttle. She feels T'Pring watching her as she goes and a smug satisfaction in knowing that she'd bested the Vulcan woman just once.

* * *

**Four Months Later…**

He had stopped watching her. Nyota hadn't noticed at first, but then realized it when she left the bridge late one evening after her shift and realized he hadn't even given her a second glance. This should have pleased her and yet it only made her angrier. T'Pring's words were still ringing in her ears even a month later and it did nothing but infuriate her more. At first she tried to ignore it but the realization that he no longer cared hurt even more than the initial loss itself. For a week she tried to get him to look at her just once, but she gained nothing outside of the ordinary conversation between the science officer and the communications officer. He did not attempt to sit with her in the mess hall, or corner her in a hallway. He did not attempt to touch her or say her name in the way that always made her heart flip in her chest.

He has forgotten her.

Like he had forgotten her when under the Ponn Farr he returned to New Vulcan for his bride. The day that she stood there like an idiot and stared at the beautiful T'Pring of New Vulcan and wondered why Spock would do something so terrible to her.

"What's eating you?" Kirk quips as he comes to stand behind her in line at the mess hall with a tray in his hands.

"Nothing," Nyota says quietly as she fills her tray with food.

"Doesn't look like nothing…" Kirk says quietly with a telltale roll of his eyes. Nyota narrows her own brown ones at him and carries her tray off to the far side of the mess hall. Kirk follows her and sits down across from her much to her own dismay. She can't help but notice now that behind Kirk she is staring directly at Spock who is in deep conversation with a thin blond woman sitting across from him.

Nurse Chapel.

He meets her gaze and they stare at each other for a moment before she breaks her gaze from his and looks at Kirk. "So tell me," Jim begins casually, "you seem a little out of it lately...you sure you're feeling ok?"

"I'm fine…just a little stressed," Nyota shrugs and remembers how Spock helped her with that, how he taught her to meditate to control her stress. She visibly winces at the memory and Kirk raises an eyebrow in inquiry.

"If you need shore leave…" Kirk begins and Uhura shakes her head, he's staring at her hard now and she knows why. He knows how much she is hurting even if she's hiding it very well. It seemed like only Kirk realized it whereas Spock couldn't guess without touching her.

She notices Nurse Chapel laughing at something mundanely candid about the planet they were currently orbiting and she restrains the urge to roll her eyes. Spock would find her boring in no time; he needs someone who is more avidly interested in their surroundings and not just a mild fascination that they employed to flirt with.

"Look," Kirk begins quietly, but unfortunately not quite enough that a Vulcan couldn't hear it, "If you need shore leave…if you need time away from all of…this…I can totally understand what you're going through. You're hurting…let me help you."

For the first time in weeks Spock was now staring at her, his dark eyes boring into her forehead so intently she thought her hair might catch on fire. She refused to meet his gaze or Kirk's for that matter and instead stared down at her soup. "I'm fine."

"Uhura…" Kirk sighs, "I'm your friend…I can tell the difference between your 'I'm fine' and your 'I'm only fine when others are looking.'

"Just leave it Jim," Nyota sighs and loses her appetite, staring down at the now cold bowl of soup.

"Look," Jim continues on despite her reluctance, "you two are going to drive me crazy…he's hiding behind his logic and you're hiding behind your pride…somewhere here you two have got to meet in the middle."

"My personal business is my own Jim," Nyota tells him quietly as she gathers her things, "Just let me worry about it ok?"

"Uhura…" Jim sighs as he watches her leave.

Out in the corridor she walks towards her quarters. She is vaguely aware of heavy footsteps following behind her until a hand closes around her upper arm and tugs her into a smaller empty corridor off to the side. She knows who it is before she can even look and lets out a long low sigh of irritation.

"Nyota," Spock begins quietly as he appears to be fighting to keep his voice low and calm. His words are fevered and spoken with great hast, "I require you to listen to what I have to say before you leave. I cannot endure your pain anymore. It was never my intention to hurt you, had I thought the topic relevant…"

"Relevant?" Nyota hissed angrily under her breath, "you thought it wasn't relevant to tell me you had a wife waiting in the wings just in case you went through…went through…you know…" Nyota said hesitantly and waved her hand at him, watching as the tips of his ears turned green and his cheeks flushed the same color.

"The topic in question is extremely difficult to discuss and immensely private...it is of deep importance to my people how it is handled and how quickly it is dealt with," he explained quietly, his dark eyes meeting hers, begging her to understand.

"Spock…I have told you things I have never told anyone…you know things about me that nobody else on this ship knows…and you couldn't trust me with that?" Nyota says with a sad shake of her head, "You know I trusted you. With my life. With my heart. With everything. And you…you made me feel used." She spat the last word out with audible disgust, watching him visibly wince as she spoke. He opened his mouth to reply but she turned on heel and stormed out of the corridor, hearing him call out to her by her formal name only so that others wouldn't stop and stare. She chose to ignore him and kept walking, fighting the urge to run as she got the creeping suspicion he was following her.

* * *

**Five Months Later…**

"Captain," Uhura says flatly as she glances back at Spock who has taken the conn from Kirk while he's gone on shore leave, "We are receiving a distress call from a nearby Romulan ship."

"On screen," Spock says with an equally flat tone that sets her teeth on edge.

The image on the screen was distorted and warped, as the image of the bridge on the ship was displayed and yet there was nobody there to greet them.

"I'm detecting faint life signs on board," Chekov says calmly, "There is only one person still alive on board Captain."

"Life support systems are failing Captain," Sulu adds.

"Can we beam them aboard?" Spock inquires with a raised eyebrow.

"Negative Captain," Chekov responds, "There is something wrong with the engines…it is creating a static interference which would make it impossible to beam someone aboard the ship safely."

"Mr. Sulu take an away team to the ship and retrieve the passenger, Mr. Chekov you will take Mr. Sulu's place as pilot," Spock instructs with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Captain," Nyota says as she stands, Spock's gaze turning towards her, "I was wondering if I might go with them Sir, they will need my skills in Romulan dialect."

Spock stares at her intently and for a moment she thinks he will say no, but then suddenly he nods and turns his gaze away from her to stare at the view screen again. Sulu nods at Uhura to follow him and the two depart from the bridge, headed for the shuttle bay.

Aboard the Romulan ship Nyota and the rest of the away team are fitted with breathers in case the life support fails. The ship is badly damaged and the crew is in the same condition. It takes Nyota a moment to figure out the directional panels on the walls but eventually they find their way to the bridge and search the area for whoever activated the communications panel. They find the crew dead and strewn across the bridge floor like broken dolls.

"I've got a bad feeling about this…" Sulu remarks as he examines the phaser burns across the chest of one of the crewmembers.

"This looks like sabotage," Nyota frowns deeply.

"If the crew's all dead…who sent that distress signal?" Sulu says with a frown.

"Trace life-signs are failing captain but my tricorder readings indicate that the passenger must be down this way," says ensign Kerri, an intern working under Dr. McCoy in sickbay.

They follow ensign Kerri down a long dark passage way, smoke and flashes of electricity crackling from loose wiring as the red emergency lights flash overhead. Nyota wipes the sweat from her brow as she follows ensign Kerri towards the place indicated on his tricorder. When the reach the room Nyota first realizes that they are in the shuttle bay of the Romulan ship. They search the bay and find nothing until Nyota lifts a heavy sheet of metal off of an escape pod door with the help of Sulu. She pries the doors open with a heavy grunt of effort and notices movement out of the corner of her eye. She lets out a startled gasp and jerks backwards as the light of Sulu's flashlight greets the familiar face before them.

"Holy shit…" Sulu mutters with wide eyes.

"Is that…" stammers ensign Kerri.

"No way…that can't be him…that's impossible…" adds a third ensign from somewhere behind Nyota and Sulu.

"Well it sure looks like him," Sulu remarks thoughtfully.

"Nero," Nyota breaths out heavily as the Romulan in question blinks into the light of Sulu's flashlight, his dark gaze meeting hers.

"The captain's just going to love this," Sulu says as Nero grunts rudely, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the light of Sulu's flashlight.


	2. Broody Vulcans and Stubborn Romulans

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or make money from any of it and all of it belongs to those who created Star Trek.

* * *

**Gamma Quadrant**

**Star date: 2259.60**

"_Captain's log…"_ Kirk begins tiredly as he rubs his face, "_Upon patrolling the Gamma quadrant we have discovered the war criminal Nero on a badly damaged Romulan war bird. Further inspection leads us to believe Nero deliberately sabotaged the ship in hopes of an escape. However I don't think he was planning on the escape pod to malfunction…"_

Nyota listens to Kirk fill in his log from the captain's chair. She can't help but feel sorry for him and Spock, who were both as dumb struck and shocked as the rest of the crew upon Nero's discovery. Jim was on shore leave when he received the call, a call that Nyota herself unfortunately had to make. She remembered clearly that he'd dropped the communicator he was holding and let out a long string of curse words so loudly that Nyota had to remove her earpiece to save her eardrums. Spock was brooding in the station next to hers, and every part of her wanted to reach out to him but she refused to do that too.

"_We have alerted Starfleet command about our discovery and are currently on course to the Romulan neutral zone, where a designated rendezvous point has been set up between our ship and the Romulan Praetor's flagship. We are instructed to hand Nero over to the Romulan government and then report back to Starfleet command about the results…." _Kirk trails off quietly, a frown marring his features, "_Starfleet command does not wish to start a war with the Romulan people… whom they openly threatened to do so if Nero is not handed over immediately."_

Nyota lets out a long sigh as her shift ends and she stands up, handing her ear piece over to the relief officer waiting behind her and heads out of the bridge and down towards the gymnasium. She's been running a lot lately; she finds the rush of adrenaline satisfying. It cools the burn of her emotions that boil just under the surface to a dull ache that she can manage.

The gymnasium was empty which is just the way she liked it, she waited until it was late to go running usually. She liked the quiet calm of the room, enjoyed having time to think on her own. She changes and stretches out her tired muscles before stepping onto the treadmill. After setting it to a setting much higher than she usually uses she starts to run.

"I estimate if you continue on your current set course, Nyota, you will tire much sooner than usual," Spock's voice carries softly towards her.

"That's fine," Nyota replies evenly as she continues to run.

"You will also risk injury to yourself as your body is not accustomed to such accelerated activity," Spock adds as an afterthought and Nyota grits her teeth.

"What I do with my _body_ is my business _Commander_," Nyota retorts coolly.

He is watching her with dark eyes and eyebrow that quirks in a very Vulcan way. She knows what he's thinking even if he doesn't say it and furthermore she knows what he's trying to say even if he doesn't say it.

"I do not think it wise for you to continue on like this, Nyota," Spock says as he steps up beside the treadmill.

"I will do as I please, _Commander_," Nyota says with forced calm, "I am no longer on duty, sir."

"As your commanding officer I order you to slow down." Spock's eyes darken considerably as he takes a step closer and reaches around over the arms of the treadmill to slow the machine down.

"Hey!" Nyota growls out with aggravation, "I'm not on duty damnit…I can run as fast as I want!"

"You will cease your attempts and physical debilitation immediately!" he snarls with thinly veiled anger.

Nyota blinks as the tread mill comes to a stop and she stares at him, his sudden anger catching her off guard; they've argued before but he's never openly _growled_ at her.

"You have _no_ right to tell me what to do," Nyota fumes as she steps off the treadmill and storms off towards the locker rooms, "you have no say in what I do_anymore_!"

"You are _mine_," he hisses through clenched teeth with such anger it sends a shock of fevered warning up Nyota's spine. She feels the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and the tell-tale sound of creaking plastic from where Spock has gripped the arm of the treadmill just a little too tightly.

"I belong only to myself," she spits back irritably, "I belong to you no longer…I will not be a pet to keep you amused."

"Nyota," Spock responds, his voice now suddenly softer and much quieter, "you are not my pet…"

"No…" Nyota sighs softly, "not anymore."

"Nyota!" Spock groans as he watches her walk off into the locker rooms.

For a moment she thinks he will follow her, and listens for the sound of his heavy footsteps as they leave the gymnasium. She changes out of her clothes and steps into a nearby shower stall. It is only when she is certain that she is alone does she cry under the hot water cascading down from the shower head above her.

* * *

**Star date: 2259.65**

**Two days from scheduled meeting at Romulan Neutral Zone…**

"Are you sure you want to do this, Uhura?" Kirk asks as they walk towards the detainment facility.

"Captain, with all due respect," Nyota begins as they enter the facility, "I am the only person on this ship who can speak all three dialects of Romulan, and therefore I am the only one fully qualified on this ship to speak to him."

"I'm sure Spock…" Kirk trails off at the sharp look Nyota gives him.

"Commander Spock would be emotionally compromised and unable to fulfill his duties given the background history he has with Nero," Nyota says quietly.

"I assure you I am fully capable of handling the situation," Spock intervenes from his place near the door as they enter the facility. Nyota suppresses a moment of irritation; it was starting to feel like he really _was_ stalking her.

"Commander, I am fully capable of handling Nero," Nyota tells him flatly.

"I am aware of that, Lieutenant, however Nero is not only an extremely skilled warrior but twice as strong…I would feel it my duty to advise you against this, you would be highly overwhelmed," he finishes with his dark eyes meeting hers and she breaks her gaze from his to glance towards Nero.

"I'm sure she'll be fine Spock," Kirk says as he pats Spock on the shoulder and then mumbles something only loud enough for Spock to hear, "If you keep crowding her like this she's going to push you away more…you need to give her space to breath… She needs time to think."

Spock says nothing for a long while as they watch Nyota approach Nero's containment cell before he speaks just as quietly, "I believe I have given her sufficient time, Captain, her illogical behavior and her refusal to resolve this matter can only be explained by her inability to control her emotions."

"Control her emotions? Spock…you had a fiancée back home and never told her…you pursued a relationship with her. Made her _love you_. And then you dropped her like she was old news the minute your… _you know_…kicked in." Kirk responds with an exasperated expression.

"Precisely why this matter must be resolved, Captain..." he trails off quietly and then adds even softer, "I cannot endure to watch her destroy herself on my behalf."

Nyota waits until the guards release the reinforced hologlass and allow her to enter the containment cell. Behind her the glass raises again, and she is trapped in the tiny white cell with Nero. He sits slumped on top of the white bed with his back pressed up against the far wall. His face is a mask of cool acceptance, his eyes staring blankly at the floor somewhere near Nyota's feet.

"_Enarrain Nero," _Nyota begins gently, though Nero shows no sign of response to her words, as if she wasn't there at all. She proceeds on in the common Romulan dialect and switches dialects until she sees a flicker of response from him, "_I am called Lieutenant Uhura...I have been asked to speak with you. How is it you survive?"_

He doesn't respond and she takes a deep breath before continuing, "_Will you tell us who saved you?"_

His lack of response was proving to be frustrating as he kept his gaze firmly on the floor. The officer who was in charge in the detainment facility spoke up, her eyebrows raised as she watches Nyota, "We've had every interrogation officer on board try and get him to talk…nothing works. He just won't talk."

"_Would it please you if they left, Enarrain?" _Nyota says softly enough for him to hear. There was a slight flicker in his eyes, a flash of something that made Nyota take pause. She looks down at the magnetic cuffs on his wrists and sighs, "_Would you speak to me then?"_

"I will not leave you in his company unattended, Lieutenant," Spock cuts in quickly.

"I can handle him, Commander," Nyota says with barely concealed irritation.

"Mr. Spock has a point, Lieutenant," Kirk adds on, "I'm not leaving you in here alone with a psychotic Romulan," Kirk tells her pointedly, "especially _that_ psychotic Romulan."

"Commander Spock," Nyota says with a sigh as she stands too look at him, "Did I not demonstrate an exceptional ability in hand to hand combat training, and I quote," Nyota says, echoing words she had once told him before. Spock was a logical man and the only way to get what she wanted was to reason with him logically, "demonstrates a highly efficient form of hand to hand Romulan defensive training?"

"Yes Lieutenant as I recall you did," Spock says with a glacial look on his face, she knows he can see where she's going with this and he _really_ doesn't like it.

"So would it not be logical to assume in the case of an assault I would be able to withstand an attack from a Romulan?" Nyota asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Lieutenant, I believe you fail to see the logic in your comment, as I recall your combat practice took place with another of your own species and not one of Romulan origin…if you were to commence battle with someone of the Romulan species the results may very well be –…"

"Just fine I think," Kirk cuts Spock off and shoots Spock and irritated look as he motions for the guards to follow him out, as he turns to leave he looks pointedly at Nero, "If you so much as look at her wrong you will regret it."

"_Captain," _Chekov's voice crackles over the comm speaker from somewhere just above their heads.

"Go ahead, Mr. Chekov," Kirk responds calmly.

"_You are needed on zee bridge Captain, vee are being hailed Sir_."

"On my way," Kirk says and motions for Spock to follow him out.

When Kirk and Spock reach the bridge Kirk resumes his place in the Captain's chair and motions to the communications officer who took over for Uhura, "On screen."

The image of Ambassador Sarek appears on screen much to the surprise of those on the bridge. Kirk raises an eyebrow and nods politely, "Ambassador, what can I do for you?"

"Greetings, Captain Kirk," Sarek begins evenly with the traditional Vulcan salute, "I have been made aware that you have within your custody the war criminal Nero."

"Yes I do," Kirk says with a nod, "He was discovered on a badly damaged Romulan war bird," Kirk explains easily.

"Upon orders from authority much higher than my own I require you release the war criminal Nero into our custody immediately," Sarek says pointedly.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Ambassador," Kirk explains with a frown, "I was given orders to hand him over to the Romulan government immediately, on threat of a war between us and the Romulans."

"The war criminal Nero is responsible for the destruction of our home world, Captain Kirk," Sarek responds with a glacial expression that rivaled Spock's previous one, Kirk was beginning to understand where Spock learned it all, "It would be considered an act of war to withhold him from us."

"Look, Ambassador…" Kirk begins calmly though he was starting to feel a little nervous now, "I can't hand him over without starting a war with the Romulans…I would give him over to you, and you know I would but I _can't_."

"Captain," Chekov cuts in quietly, "they are raising their shields Sir."

"Father," Spock cuts in before Kirk can respond to Chekov, "We have been through this before…the logic of this makes no sense. You must see reason, Father…our numbers are dwindling, we cannot afford a war we have no hope of winning. We would be highly outnumbered."

"Mr. Spock has a point, Ambassador. You know I don't want to fight you, but I have my orders," Kirk says gritting his teeth. He felt like such an ass for doing this, but he couldn't just hand Nero over to anyone.

"Captain, they're locking on," an ensign announced somewhere off to his left.

"Shields up, red alert," Kirk responds evenly as he meets Sarek's gaze over the view screen, "I won't fight you."

"Father, this is insanity…you must see reason," Spock insists fervently.

Sarek stares down at his son who stares back at him, and Spock knows instinctively why Sarek is doing what he is doing.

Justice.

Nero was responsible for the death of his precious _k'diwa_, his _ashayam_. Spock could not argue with the illogical emotions inflicted upon Nero's discovery and he himself had contemplated hauling Nero back to New Vulcan himself. However the rash decisions his Father was making made him uneasy.

"Captain," Spock says quietly, "Should we engage in battle with them the chances of our victory are highly probable however-…"

"Way ahead of you, Mr. Spock. Mr. Sulu, get us out of here _fast_," Kirk commands easily as Sarek stares them down.

"Your actions would be unwise, Captain Kirk," Sarek warns as a warning shot rocks the whole ship. Alarms go off and the lighting flickers as people are thrown from their seats.

"We'll see about that, Ambassador. Sulu, now!"

"Yes, Captain," Sulu says with a nod as he turns the ship away from the Vulcan ship before them and jumps into warp.

"Scotty, damage report," Kirk says as he presses a button on the arm of his chair and waits for a reply, then glances at Spock, "Mr. Spock, can we out run them?"

"Yes, Captain, I estimate their warp drive capabilities do not nearly exceed our own," Spock says flatly.

"_Shield's still holding, Captain_," Scotty's voice rings over the intercom, "_We've got damage though on deck nine_."

"Deck Nine?" Kirk nearly jumping out of his chair, "That's the detainment level…" Kirk says as he glances at Spock, who is already half way into the turbolift before Kirk can even issue an order.

"_I told you we should'a had the damn coils replaced _ages_ ago, Jim…" _Scotty's voice crackles out over the intercom as Kirk runs for the turbolift behind Spock, "_There was a weak spot in the shields_."

Nyota grimaces as she stirs from her place on the floor of the cell. There is a warm heavy weight on top of her and she quickly realizes that it is in fact Nero. The facility was dark outside save for the flashing red lights above her head. The woman in charge at the front desk was sprawled out behind the desk on the floor unconscious.

Nyota was trapped.

She couldn't get out to call for help and she had no way to wake the Lieutenant currently unconscious several feet away from her. Carefully she tilts her head back to see if Nero's conscious which thankfully he wasn't because it would be both humiliating and uncomfortable for him to be awake and laying on top of her like he was. She pushes up gently with both hands, lifting the heavy weight of him off of her and rolling him to the side as she gets to her feet to examine the damage to the facility. Wires and loose ceiling tiles were hanging down around the room outside.

So now she had to figure out how to break out of this cell. Nero would certainly be no help as he was still unconscious, a combination of relief and irritation washing over Nyota all at once because of it. The situation she was currently in was dire. She glanced towards the white sliding doors at the far end of the room and took note that they were blocked with debris. Soon there would be crew members trying to pry those doors open if it was clear enough for them to do so on the other side. She hears a grumbling sound and realizes Nero was lying face down on the ground beside and casually flips him over so that he could breathe properly.

She didn't need the Romulan government accusing her of murder.

After searching the cell for any means of escape and finding nothing she resorted to sitting down on the rumbled bed and glowering at the floor at her feet.

One hour later…

Nyota found her chances of escape becoming increasingly distressing. After an hour of silence and solitude she started to sing softly to herself. Romulan nursery rhythms she'd learned back in the academy to help her remember the Romulan language.

"_Hush child, fear not," _Nyota sang softly as she leaned her head back against the white wall behind her and closed her eyes.

"_For I shall never let you fall," _She thinks of better times back at the academy when she and Spock were first dating. He was so different than anyone she had ever met and she'd honestly felt like they would never have worked out at first. Part of her hoped they would though, and the certainly did up until now.

"_For your journey is long and treacherous, but I will be there to hold your hand,"_

**Several Years Ago…**

"_Nyota,"__Spock says__quietly as they walk home from the little Deltan restaurant Nyota so very much enjoyed going too. They were just reaching her dormitory building, the lights of her room were dark so she knew Gaila was asleep and they risked no chance of being caught together._

"_Yes?" she asks casually as they approach the door to her dormitory building and stopped, turning to face each other._

"_I wonder if I might indulge on a custom of my people," Spock says calmly as he extends his left hand out, index finger and middle finger pressed together with the rest of his fingers curled towards his palm._

_Nyota stared at his hand and then at him; trying to recall what custom this was on Vulcan. She silently cursed herself for not remembering, knowing that more than likely he expected her to recognize it because of her extensive knowledge in both Vulcan language and culture. She took a deep breath and frantically searched her mind for any clue as to what he was asking of her._

_After a long pause he quirks an eyebrow, "Forgive me…as I recall the gesture is not taught in Vulcan culture classes," Spock says as he watches her carefully, "it is, in a sense," he pauses as he meets her gaze, "a form of affection between two Vulcans."_

"_I see," Nyota says with a raised eyebrow, "a form of affection…"_

"_Yes," Spock begins albeit slightly uncomfortably, "it is in comparison to the Terran form of affection though slightly more…intense."_

"_Terran form of affection?" Nyota says with a raised eyebrow, wondering which 'Terran form of affection' he was referring too. "Well…" Nyota says as she raises her right hand, she was all for new experiences and this one would certainly be new to her. She wasn't entirely certain what she was supposed to be doing when the pads of his outstretched fingers brushed against hers delicately. He then proceeds to slide his fingers delicately down the insides of her own and around her wrist before bringing them back up over the top. The sensation of it was certainly _intense_ as Spock put it. The psionic energy crackling down her fingers tips and through her body produced an electrical current that raced through her body and pooled warm heat between her thighs._

_She was going to need a cold shower after this._

_She repeated the action against his own fingertips and thrilled in the darkening of his eyes as she slid her fingers back over the tops of his. Through their connected fingertips she could sense something just on the edge of breaking; he was tense as he stood there before her with the pads of his fingers pressed against hers. It was remarkable how such a small gesture could be so intimate, how she could feel a strange warmth creeping into her thoughts as his hand spread wide and slid along her own. She uncurled her fingers and pressed her palm against his, unprepared for the onslaught of lust and desire flooding her body. She heard a vague notion of his thoughts, which predominately focused on one single word._

'_Mine.'_

**Back in the Present…**

A groan from somewhere by her feet told her Nero was waking up.

"Welcome back sleeping beauty," Nyota says dryly with a sigh.

Nero sits up and meets her gaze, Nyota's eyebrow quirked as she watched him, "Someone attacked the ship…the systems are down and you and I are stuck in here until they can get us out."

He still holds his silence much to Nyota's irritation. She rolls her eyes when he just stares at her and stands to go stare out of the hologlass window. "Come on, Lieutenant…" Nyota grumbles as she watches the woman on the floor a few feet away, "_wake up_…"

The sudden clink of metal against the hard floor sent an alarming shock down Nyota's spine. She whipped around just in time to see Nero rubbing his wrists as he stares down at the magnetic cuffs, which were certainly not magnetic anymore. He glances up at her in an almost predatory fashion and Nyota braces herself, staring him down firmly.

"Such a brave little human," he comments quietly and the roughness of his voice makes her ache to step back away from him, "you are so proud and yet so frightened...I can _smell_ it."

"Now isn't the time for fighting, Nero," Nyota tells him pointedly as she tries to reason with him. It was probably madness to even consider it but right now Nyota had very few options and she needed his superior strength to get them out of this cell.

"The Federation isn't so powerful when they've got Vulcan and Romulan alike hunting them down, now are they?" Nero says as he meets her gaze. He steps closer and she steps back, only to have her back bumped up against the hologlass. He raises an arm and rests it against the glass somewhere above her head and leans in closer to look at her.

"It will be a pleasing victory upon your destruction…the Federation is nothing but a menace to us all," Nero tells her with a lifted eyebrow.

Nyota glares up at him bravely, fire burning in her eyes as her voice drops an octave and she speaks with venom in the old Romulan tongue, a language she was certain he knew. He may have only been a minor but Nero struck her as more than just that, he knew things that no lower class Romulan citizen should know. "_You are a planet destroyer. You bring devastation to the galaxy. It's your fault my people suffer, as do the Vulcans; they were innocent in all of this! Their children were innocent. And you murdered them all!"_

He snarls in response and grabs her jaw tightly, glaring down at her menacingly as he responds in the same language, "_You dare defile my people's language with your filthy, primitive, _Terran _tongue!"_

"_You will remove your hands from me!" _she snaps back irritably. She knows it's not wise to threaten him, knows that he could kill her easily right then and there but the anger that had been boiling just under the surface for the last five months was now pouring out, and even if Nero had nothing to do with it he was unfortunately in the blast zone.

"Humans," he scoffs in Federation standard, "so weak…."

"Fuck you," Nyota hisses back and promptly head butts him. He is momentarily taken aback; the grip on her jaw released as he stumbles backwards and holds a hand to his forehead.

He lets out a curse word in Romulan that makes Nyota gasp in outrage and seethe in rage. She is suddenly like a wild animal cornered, her back tense and her teeth set as she glares at Nero with such fire in her eyes that she is certain he had flinched back for a moment. She starts to speak in the old Romulan tongue, vicious words that she is certain she would have never said to him or anyone for that matter if she had not had five months of pent of rage. She steps towards him and he steps back, watching her warily as if she were some form of wild cat that wandered the plains of Romulus. Finally as if realizing what he was doing he spat back biting words in the old tongue intended to antagonize, his eyes black as the night sky back on earth. During her fit of rage she had vaguely noticed his pupils were slightly wider than a human and wondered if this was common for all Romulans. The effect it had upon her was both fascinating and frightening all at once. Her anger had become viable, an inky black thing that had come alive and drove her to madness.

"_You smell of the Vulcan. Of the one who destroyed my planet…" _Nero says as he steps closer, his hooded eyes boring into hers. Nyota now begins to realize the situation she is in, knows that she has allowed her rage to get the better of her. Nero is cornering her against a wall, his voice like ice as it slides across her skin. She is further distressed when he leans closer and to both her shock and disgust slides his nose across her right shoulder, inhaling deeply, _"You reek of the Vulcan, but you do not bear his mark."_

Nero smirks down at her coldly a strange twinkling in his eyes something like surprise and amusement burning in their depths, "Humans…so easy to manipulate. You allowed the Vulcan to use you, but you failed to realize that he never intended on keeping you."

"Get away from me," Nyota says coldly, struggling to regain some semblance of control of her emotions. Nero's proximity was making her extremely nervous. He was watching her with a look that was something close to predatory, and it made her feel like a deer caught in the sights of a mountain lion.

"It is for the best," Nero muses allowed as he trails the fingers of his right hand down the side of her face gently, "such passion is better suited for a Romulan."

Nyota knocks his hand away in disgust and glares up at him, "You disgust me."

"I cannot see how you could have tolerated the icy veneer of a Vulcan…" Nero continues on as if he hadn't heard her, "when the heat of a Romulan would suit you so much _better_."

"Just proves how much you _don't_ know about Vulcans," Nyota says cockily.

"I know they're viciously logical creatures," Nero retorts evenly, "I know they suppress they're emotions. And you, being such a passionate creature, must surely be suffocating under that tight grip of control."

"You know _nothing_," Nyota spits back hotly.

"You think so?" Nero quirks an eyebrow as he lifts a hand to slide down her throat and squeeze just ever so slightly, just enough to make her pupils dilate as he leans in closer and slides his nose up the side of her neck, "He has never marked you, little human," Nero whispers against her ear softly, his lips brushing against her skin as he speaks, "because Vulcans find no pleasure in a mate who feels such passion." His hand slides around to cup the back of her neck and Nyota feels her control snap. In the last five months, she had spent every last ounce of her will power trying to forget this fact, hating that Nero so blatantly throws it in her face with cruel amusement twinkling in his eyes as he stares down at her. She hears a faintly rushing sound in her ears and realizes it's her own blood pumping through her veins. Someone is screaming in the distance as she shoves Nero back with all the strength she had, her fingers twisting in his shirt, the satisfying ripping sound it makes as she drags her nails across his chest and then his face and shoulders, hitting him anywhere she could as she drives him backwards towards the bed. He recovers from his temporary shock and catches her wrists within his own hands and tries to fend her off but she'll have none of it.

He wanted a fight. He's got one.

It becomes a tangle of arms and legs as she tackles him backwards, driving her nails into his skin and pulling them away smeared with green. The sight of it pleases her exceedingly as he yanks sharply on her ponytail to try and pry her off of his shoulder where she realizes with terrible shock that she has bitten him. He's snarling something vicious in Romulan, she can't be sure what but she knows it was _very_ rude. This inky black thing living inside her, the rage seething from her every pore seemed to have a mind of its own, she was pure emotion and she was _alive_, fire bursting through her veins, as she had never experienced before. She lets out a pained scream as she feels his teeth sink into her shoulder hard enough that his lips are coated in her blood.

That bastard _bit_ her.

She growls at him and to her surprise he growls back, and she kicks and shoves at him even as he trying to flip them over and pin her down onto the bed. She flails uselessly and screams when he bites her again, realizing that the grip his jaw has on her shoulder loosens as she calms down and tightens again when she tries to fight him off once more.

The pain was bringing a shocking clarity to her, and horror was slowly replacing her anger. She had attacked Nero. She had _bitten_ Nero.

Several times.

"Get off me," Nyota whines uselessly as tears threaten to burn in her eyes. Nero peers down at her with hooded eyes and her own blood staining his chin. His gaze is burning a hole into her face and she is suddenly uncomfortable in the position he holds her down in, his body pinning her to the bed, pressed _far_ to intimately against her to be reasonable. He didn't have to hold her like this and she knew he was doing it intentionally.

It made her want to claw his eyes out.

She glared up at him when he didn't budge and she let out another vicious snarl of irritation as she tries to do exactly as she pleased, raking her nails down his already bloody face as his hands scramble to try and stop her. She is fairly certain she is spouting terribly _rude_ words in Romulan at him as his right hand cups the back of her head and the other is trying to grab hold of her face to make her look at him. He's trying to speak but she won't give him the chance as she claws at his face. When she sees her efforts are getting her nowhere she reels back and slaps him in frustration. They both gasp in shock at the sudden and _very_ powerful psionic energy that runs through both of them, strong enough that Nero all but rips his hands away from her face and reels backwards off the bed in surprise. She isn't entirely certain what happened after that, as the darkness closes in on her and the world around her fades away.


	3. Burn

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or make money from any of it and all of it belongs to those who created Star Trek.

* * *

**One day until rendezvous at Romulan Neutral Zone…**

Nyota was vaguely aware of the warmth her cheek was currently pressed against. She mumbled something in her sleep and curled closer to it, delighting in the heat against her body. That particular something shifted under her to accommodate her better and she was all the more pleased with the prospect of sleep because of it. She dreamt of distant planets and vast dark craters. She saw strange lights in the distance and people she'd never met before.

_She saw Spock._

_He was much older and tired looking, as he stood before a group of Romulan officials in deep conversation. She remembered feeling rage towards those officials, unbridled and uncontrollable rage welling up deep inside of her. She was moving as if her body were not her own, storming out of the senate room with barely concealed anger._

_Then she saw her._

_Mandana…beautiful and iridescent in the morning sunlight on Romulus, and she felt such powerful love for this woman though she knew she'd never met her before. This woman soothed her anger (which wasn't an anger that belonged to her) and calmed her nerves (though her nerves were just fine.) The woman called Mandana was very pregnant, as hands that weren't her own caressed the woman's stomach lovingly. Nyota thought she might cry from the beauty of it, the deep connection between the two of them (whoever they were) reminded her of what she once had with Spock._

_Pain._

_Sudden and terrible, crashing over her in waves as the scene shifts and she is watching Romulus _**burn**_. The fire consumes the planet as it is ripped in half and washed away like pebbles on a seashore. She feels horribly helpless, overwhelmed with grief and rage as the super nova destroys everything in its path. Then she sees a smaller Vulcan ship drop out of warp in the distance and hurl something into the fire. It is consumed and then the darkness around the Narada was vast and nearly audible._

_Hate._

_It was consuming her whole, burning her alive from the inside out like a living thing trying to rip its way out of her very veins. Her blood burned as her heart screamed out in despair. She would take her vengeance upon those who had allowed she who was her wife, her mate, her Mandana, to be killed._

_Nyota was vaguely certain that this dream was Nero's, and that Mandana was his wife. She was seeing what he sees though she doesn't understand or even know how._

_The scene shifted and she was reveling in the thrill of the man in her grasp, wringing the life from his body as he had wrung the life from her beloved planet. When they were dead (they being the Romulan senate much to Nyota's surprise and dismay) she stood and inhaled deeply, calming the rage that was imbedded deep in her heart until she could bark orders to chase after the one who allowed her home to be destroyed._

_She leans down and picks up the heavy metal spear that lay beside the dead man at her feet._

'_Debrune Teral'n…'_

_The word curled into her mind, wrapped itself around her brain like a warm blanket. It sent a thrill of fire through her blood as she lifted the heavy weight of it into her grasp and ran her finger over the clasp near the top of it. A satisfying metallic sound, like metal sliding against metal rang in her ears as she examined the three bladed weapon._

_Nyota instantly recognized it with mild horror. This weapon belonged to the Praetor. Which meant that Nero (because she knew she certainly had not done it) had murdered the Praetor._

"_Do you think she's alright?" rings a voice somewhere overhead and Nyota frowns, looking around her for the source of the voice; it sounded strangely like…Sulu._

"I hope so…" Kirk admonishes as he glances towards the containment cell. It had taken them four hours to break through the wreckage, relief flooding them all when they saw that Uhura was still alive.

"Captain," the Lieutenant in charge of the detainment center says quietly, "when I woke up he was holding her like that…and when I tried to get him to release her…Captain he just growled at me. I can't use my phaser without running the risk of hitting Lieutenant Uhura by accident…"

Kirk frowns at Nero who's curled against the back wall on top of the bed inside the cell. Resting between his legs is Uhura, her head leaning against his chest and her legs spread out across the bed. Her fingers are twisted into the shredded remains of Nero's shirt.

She looked… comfortable?

"Captain," the woman in front of him continues, "he's demanding that only Commander Spock come and retrieve her…he won't let anyone else near her."

Nyota is vaguely aware of the conversation nearby, but the hand that is smoothing her hair is very comforting. She is terribly sleepy as she drifts off again, letting out a soft sound of contentment as another hand rubs the back of her head in soothing circles. She dreams of Klingons and strange electrical lights dancing around the Narada when the warmth she is so tightly curled against is pulled away from her abruptly, and another sort of heat entirely engulfs her. She is pressed against something hard and warm and she vaguely hears Nero's voice in the distance as he speaks, "She is all fire and passion Spock," Nero tells Spock with bemusement in his eyes as he watches Spock's eyes turn black with rage at the sight of Nyota's neck and shoulders, "Such fire and passion could never be satisfied with Vulcan ice…she would be far bettered suited for a Romulan mate then a Vulcan one." Abruptly she feels the grip on her body tighten dramatically and she makes a little sound of discontentment as she shifts in Spock's grip, unaware that it was in fact _Spock_ who was carrying her. The grip relents if only a little, as Spock departs from the detainment facility with thinly veiled rage boiling under the surface of his cool exterior.

"_Spock,_" Kirk says as he struggles to keep up with the Vulcan in front of him that is all but starting to run towards the medical bay, "_Spock_…you gotta slow down. She's alright, he didn't hurt her."

"Captain, I fail to see how such a statement is irrelevant towards Lieutenant Uhura considering the state of her neck and shoulders," Spock grits out sharply and inhales deeply afterwards to prevent himself from snapping at Kirk again. He was losing control of his emotions, and this would not do Nyota any good. He slows his stride so that Kirk can keep up and they walk side by side towards the medical bay. "My apologies, Captain. I am… I was unprepared for this."

"She'll be alright, Spock…McCoy will fix her up just fine, you'll see," Kirk reassures them as they enter the medical bay.

* * *

**Spock's POV**

He watches McCoy work his way through each and every wound inflicted upon Nyota's person. Every bite mark and every scratch, the bruises on her hips and thighs and he can barely hold his temper. He had resisted the savage urges he felt standing in the containment cell with Nero, resisted the deep seated need to break every bone in Nero's body for touching what did not belong to him.

He knew she did not belong to him either though.

Nyota shifts uncomfortably on the medical bed when McCoy tends to a particularly deep and vicious bite mark on her shoulder. Spock resists the urge to growl at McCoy for causing her such distress but knows it cannot be helped.

"Doctor," says the Lieutenant from the detainment facility, "when would you like me to bring up the prisoner for inspection?"

"Just a minute, Elaine," McCoy says with a nod, "let me finish up here and then I'll have the nurses move her into a separate room. I don't want that Romulan anywhere near her."

"Yes, Doctor," Elaine says with a nod and leaves the room.

"No," Spock says quietly, "I don't want him in here."

McCoy raises an eyebrow in response and Spock silently berates himself for such a slip in his control, "It would be…unwise for Nero to be in the same area as Lieutenant Uhura. It may provoke another assault on her person."

"Assault?" McCoy asks with raised eyebrows, "it looks like she got into a bar fight with a Klingon."

"Doctor," says a nearby nurse examining Uhura's brain scans, "her neural activity is off the charts."

"Huh," McCoy says as he looks at the screen above Uhura's head, "I've never seen anything like this. Nurse Chapel, would you please call in that specialist we have on board…that Deltan fellow. I can't recall his name," McCoy says with a frown.

"Doctor Uyara," nurse Chapel supplies easily.

"Yes, call in Doctor Uyara and have him come up here and examine these scans, please," McCoy says as he hands her Uhura's chart. Spock watches the nurses wheel Nyota into a nearby private room after McCoy finishes cleaning her up. She looks exhausted but contented, and he can't help but feel slightly responsible for the bruising he can see around her wrists and throat.

He should have never left her alone down there with Nero.

Every instinct in him screamed not to leave her, and though he tried to reason with her she would not hear him out. She denies him in every way she can and it_infuriates_ him. Her persistent refusal of his advances puts her life in danger every day. She won't listen to reason and she won't let him help her and now she was nearly killed by Nero.

If she were to die he would surely murder Nero with his bare hands.

"Where do you want him, Doctor?" asks Elaine who is flanked with two armed guards, Nero standing in front of her with magnetic cuffs on his wrists.

"What the-…" McCoy breaths in shock as he takes in Nero's appearance and then glances at Spock, "are you sure she didn't assault _him_?"

Spock's expression is glacial at the suggestion that Nyota's condition was done only in defense. McCoy relents at his gaze and sighs, motioning to a nearby bed, "bring him over here."

As McCoy examines Nero, Spock observes quietly, refusing to leave the medical center until Nero is gone. His body blocks the door to Uhura's room, much to Nero's obvious amusement, his dark eyes twinkling with undisguised mirth at Spock's behavior.

"Well whatever happened between you two, she gave as good as she got; that's for sure," McCoy says as he heals up yet another particularly vicious bite mark on Nero's right shoulder.

"The cameras were destroyed," Elaine comments idly with a sigh, "we unfortunately won't be able to find out what really happened down there while you guys were trying to break into the facility."

"Damn shame if you ask me," McCoy smirks at Nero, "would have loved to watch her kick your ass."

"Doctor," Spock intervenes coolly, "that is inappropriate conduct and whilst on duty I will ask you to refrain from such topics."

McCoy's smirk falters and he nods, barely concealing the smile on his lips as he finishes patching Nero up.

Spock had said '_while on duty_.'

When Nero is returned to the containment facility Spock gives Nyota one last parting glance and then leaves for his quarters. Nero's assault has pushed him to the edge of his control, and every instinct in him demanded he strangle Nero with his bare hands.

He must meditate or he will surely go mad.

* * *

**Nyota's POV**

Her body aches everywhere and she loathes moving a single muscle. She grunts with the force it takes to shift in the hospital bed she's currently sitting in. She hears McCoy's voice somewhere off to her left as he talks quietly with someone she believes is Doctor Uyara.

"Are you sure?" McCoy asks with disbelief as he and Uyara stare at the brain scans.

"The increased levels of serotonin with the additionally increased levels of adrenaline flooding her blood stream, all evidence points to only one conclusion, Doctor McCoy," Uyara says pointedly with a sigh as he glances back at Nyota's sleeping form, "she is the recipient of a forced mind-meld."

"I thought Romulans couldn't do that sort of thing?" McCoy asks disbelievingly.

"That's the problem," Uyara says flatly, "they _can't_."

"There's only one other person on board who could have…" McCoy trails off and then shakes his head, "he couldn't have done it Uyara…that's impossible…he was with us the whole time."

"I wasn't suggesting that Commander Spock had anything to do with it McCoy," Uyara says with mild irritation as he rubs the bridge of his nose tiredly, "what I _am_suggesting however is that Nero has rediscovered his psychic abilities."

"How?" McCoy asks with a frown.

"There are several alternatives, namely mind altering drugs for the most part," Uyara says thoughtfully, "all Romulans retain a semblance of what they're Vulcan cousins are capable of now…after all, the Romulans descended from Vulcans."

"So you're saying Nero got a hold of some mind altering drugs and decided to pull apart Uhura's mind with it?" McCoy says with mild disgust.

"Possibly…but her brain activity suggest it was accidental. If I didn't know any better I'd say he had no idea he could even do that," Uyara says thoughtfully with a shrug as he glances at McCoy.

"Is there any way we could know for certain?" McCoy inquires as he walks Uyara to the door of the medical bay.

"We need to scan Nero's mind for trace elements that would suggest psionic activity in his brain…more than likely from the looks of it Nero must have accidently initiated a mind meld with Lieutenant Uhura and because he had no idea he could do that; or even how to control it he probably gave her a nasty shock."

"I'll get him up here as soon as I can and send you the results later," McCoy says with a nod.

"Sounds good," Uyara says with a nod, "now if you'll excuse me, I hear there's a lovely custard pudding being served in the mess hall right now."

Nyota listens as Uyara leaves the medical center and McCoy walks towards her room. She struggles to sit up but finds she is much more comfortable not moving instead.

"Hey, you're awake, great. How are you feeling?" McCoy asks as he examines her chart and checks the wounds on her neck and shoulders.

"I'm exhausted…and I hurt everywhere," Nyota grumbles tiredly.

"Yeah, well, that's what happens when you get into fist fights with Romulans," McCoy muses allowed and then his face becomes serious, "Can you remember anything that happened?"

"No," Nyota frowns softly as she stares down at her hands, "I just remember…he grabbed my face," she mumbles as she strains for the memory, blurred and distorted but clearly Nero. He was reaching for her face, and then there was a sudden intense pressure against her skull…in her very _mind_.

"He grabbed your face?" McCoy asks intently, "What do you remember about that?"

"Why?" Nyota asks with a frown.

"May I ask you a personal question?" McCoy says with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes," Nyota agrees with a nod, feeling somewhat hesitant about what he might ask.

"Have you and Spock ever…done anything physically affectionate of the Vulcan persuasion?" McCoy asks indirectly, unsure of how to put it.

"What?" Nyota asks with a confused frown.

"Have you two ever mind-melded?" McCoy asks with a frustrated sigh.

"Just once," Nyota recalls quietly, "just briefly…just for a moment."

McCoy nods thoughtfully, "and when Nero grabbed you…the position of his hands…were they similar to when Spock melded with you?"

Nyota's face turns thoughtful as she recalls Spock's gentle touch against the side of her face. It had been extremely intimate and overwhelming all at once. His mind had brushed lightly against hers like his soft lips; her cheeks turning hot at the recollection of the emotions she felt from him. He had seen in turn one of her deepest secrets, and it had been the first time she'd ever cried in front of him. "Yes," Nyota says quietly as realization settles over her at what McCoy was implying. Her surprise turns to shock and then horror at the implication, her body stiffening in response. "You don't think he…we didn't…."

"Yeah…" McCoy says with mild distaste, "I think you did."

* * *

**Stardate: 2259.67**

**Romulan Neutral Zone**

"Captain we are approaching the neutral zone," Chekov says as he glances back at Kirk.

"Excellent Mr. Chekov," Kirk says with a nod, "take us to the meeting point."

"Yes Captain," Chekov says with a nod as he punches in the coordinates.

"Mr. Spock…." Kirk says as he swivels around to look at the science station but finds a different officer in place of Spock, "Mr. Spock?" Kirk frowns in confusion, "Lieutenant, where is Mr. Spock?"

"He asked me to take over for him earlier, Captain," says the young Lieutenant staring back at him.

"_Oh shit_…" Sulu mutters under his breath quietly and Chekov raises his eyebrows in agreement. The two pilots never turn to look back at Kirk but both know what is probably going on.

"Mr. Spock, report," Kirk says into the communicator pad on his chair.

"I will be arriving shortly, Captain," Spock's voice sounds over the intercom on his chair, "I had to ensure the security protocols were in place."

"Well you could have told me you were going to do that…I was going to ask you to do that just now, so…carry on…I guess," Kirk says with an exasperated sigh as he throws a hand up in the air.

"Apologies, Captain," Spock replies quietly, "I have been…distracted as of late."

"Apology accepted now get everything set up and get back to the bridge as soon as you can, Commander, that's an order," Kirk tells Spock and then shuts off the communicator.

**Spock's POV**

"Yes, Captain," Spock says quietly into his communicator as he stands at the side of Nyota's bed, watching her sleep.

He found he could not rest properly nor meditate as efficiently because Nyota was not well. Nyota Uhura was a fascinating creature, he had been enthralled the first moment he saw her, and bewitched by her brilliance he couldn't help but be drawn to her. He could not stay away from her even now when she deemed his presence unsatisfactory to her.

"I am truly sorry, _ashayam_," he murmurs softly as he brushes a stray lock of dark hair away from her face. She shifts uncomfortably in her sleep and grimaces at the movement, Spock's dark eyes noting the bruising along her neck and shoulders with burning disdain.

She has been marked by another…she was _his_.

He was moving before he understood his actions, sliding his cheek along hers until he buried his face against her neck, sliding his tongue along the smooth column of her throat. She groaned in her sleep but did not stir, his hands sliding into her hair as he marveled in the silky texture of it. He ached to slide his body along hers, mark her with his scent if he could not mark her with his body. She has denied him that privilege, and though he understands her reasons his instincts do not.

"_Mine_," he murmurs against her skin as his eyes drift closed and his fingers slide down her arms in a gentle caress. His cheek slides down her chest and across her stomach, nuzzling against her skin as his tongue dances across any patch of bare skin it can find.

"What _the hell_ are you doing?" McCoy asks quietly with raised eyebrows and an alarmed look on his face.

Spock's eyes snap open and he straightens quickly, his expression flat and glacial as he meets McCoy's gaze. He says nothing because he has no explanation; he would not share his _ashayam_ with another and sought to make it known to the one who would try and take what was his.

"Yeah…security looks pretty tight here," McCoy says as he glances around with a look of understanding flickering in his eyes as he watches at Spock, "Maybe you should go check other parts of the ship now, Mr. Spock."

"Agreed," Spock recovers quickly and calmly steps past McCoy who watches him depart with a frown marring his features. He calls out to Spock as he departs, letting out a long sigh as he does, "I'll keep an eye on her, Spock…nobody's going to hurt her."

Spock pauses and tilts his head to the side, nodding quietly before departing once more through the double doors of the medical bay.

* * *

**Nyota's POV**

She is vaguely aware that someone or _something_ warm is sliding across her skin with delicious friction. That same warm _something_ with incredibly warm fingers is touching her hair, sending wonderful tendrils of heat to pool down between her thighs. She lets out a little sigh of contentment in her sleep as that same _something_ trails fire down across her chest and over her stomach. She is even further contented to hear the soft rumblings of a deep voice brushing across her skin, hot and delicious as it fans across her over sensitized neck and throat.

"_Spock_…" Nyota mumbles in her sleep long after that same _something_ is gone and the cool air of the medical bay takes its place.

"Mr. Spock's not here, Lieutenant," McCoy says gently as he watches her slowly open her eyes to look up at him, "you just missed him."

Nyota frowns and blinks up at him, "he was here?"

McCoy raises an eyebrow and nods, "yeah…just for a moment."

Nyota quietly realizes that the warmth she felt was in fact _him_, and part of her is pleased by that fact while another part, albeit much smaller was highly discontented with him. She tries to sit up and grunts in pain, the muscles in her legs crying out in protest.

"Now don't try and get up," McCoy reprimands her gently, "you are still too weak to be up and moving around. I want those skin replications to heal properly before you go anywhere."

"What happened?" Nyota mumbles tiredly as she rubs her face and then lets her fingers slide over the bruised patches on her neck and shoulders with surprised eyes.

"I told you," McCoy says with a faint smirk, "you shouldn't be fighting with Romulans."

"He _bit_ me…" Nyota breaths out in shock as she traces the faint scar pattern on her skin.

"Well to be fair, you _bit_ him too…" McCoy's smirk widens at the look of shock on Nyota's face.

"I did _what_?" Nyota breaths out in a rush, blinking up at McCoy, trying to wrap her mind around what he was telling her.

"Which leads me to my next point," McCoy says as he sits down on the edge of her bed and looks at her seriously, "I think you should see a counselor."

"Why?" Nyota frowns at him.

"Those bite marks…the scratches on his face…well…on every part of him you could get to at least, they looked pretty vicious," McCoy says as he watches the expression on her face carefully, "I think that maybe…perhaps after everything you have been through he might have done something that pushed you over the edge."

Nyota closes her eyes against McCoy's piercing stare and grimaces as she replies to him quietly, "I can't remember much of anything…I just remember being _so_angry…"

"Exactly," McCoy nods, "and you've been holding it all in too. You've been refusing to acknowledge what happened with you and Spock for five months now," McCoy pauses at her scowl and raises an eyebrow in return, "Now just listen to me for a minute. You've been holding it all in. And you know that's all going to come out eventually one way or another and Nero got caught in the line of fire when it did. Fortunately he's strong enough to fight you off, though I can't say I wasn't particularly pleased to see that he got his ass handed to him like that," McCoy chuckles lightly under his breath and winks at Nyota, "Funny thing was though," McCoy adds as an afterthought, "From the looks of it, he didn't really fight back, save for the biting and the bruising…it looked like he was just trying to hold you down until you'd gotten out whatever it was you needed to let out."

"Yeah," Nyota rubs her face again as she tries to remember but the splintering pain in her mind as she tries to recall makes her wince, "I don't remember him really hitting me…I think…" Nyota pauses as she strains against the pain, tears starting to well in her eyes as she tries to remember. "I think he was just…holding me down…and I was screaming…and biting him…_oh_," Nyota flushes deep red and closes her eyes, "I'll _never_ be able to look anyone in the eye again."

McCoy nods, "I had scans done on Nero's mind earlier," he says and pauses as he watches Nyota register the information, "Doctor Uyara thinks that Nero has managed to reawaken his psionic abilities, though he's got very little control and when he conducted the mind-meld it was clumsy and uncoordinated…Uyara thinks Nero surprised himself as much as you."

Nyota nods in relief, thankful that Nero hadn't intentionally tried something so dangerous on her. Still the idea that Nero had been climbing around in her head made her nervous, and McCoy seemed to notice how still she'd gotten and added quietly, "Uyara also would like a Vulcan elder to examine your mind. He's afraid Nero might have done something…_permanent_. By accident."

"No…" Nyota breaths out loud in both shock and fear at the idea of being _bonded_ to Nero, the shear horror of it making her tremble faintly.

"Now don't get excited," McCoy reassures her gently, "Uyara thinks there is a slim chance he might have done it…after all Nero had no idea he could even do it, and chances are he just shocked the crap out of both of you."

"I can't be _bonded_ to him," Nyota mumbles in quiet disgust.

"You may have some funny dreams though," McCoy adds as an afterthought, staring thoughtfully at the charts above her head, "Uyara said the after effects of a mind-meld can be unpredictable."

"Wait…does that mean what I think it means?" Nyota frowned up at him, "Nero saw…_could have seen_…things about me?"

"Yes…" McCoy agrees somberly, "Uyara says emotional transference happens first though, so when he connected with you…all that anger you had pent up…was the equivalent of you screaming at him. Somehow I doubt he was prepared for that."

"I've been having dreams," Nyota murmurs quietly as she closes her eyes again, "I keep dreaming about _Romulus_."

"Probably an after effect of the mind meld," McCoy nods thoughtfully, "I'll set you up an appointment with the ships counselor for tomorrow, alright?"

"Alright," Nyota nods quietly and listens to him leave the room.

* * *

**Stardate: 2259.67**

**Romulan Neutral Zone**

"Captain," Chekov says calmly, "Romulan war-bird _T'al Yshevhf _approaching, Sir."

"Very good Chekov, hold position and wait for hailing frequencies to be established," Kirk says with a nod of his head.

"We are being hailed, sir," says the communications officer somewhere to his right, Kirk nods casually towards her, "On screen."

"Greetings," says the Romulan Praetor as he appears on the screen, nodding his head politely, "I am Praetor Vrax."

"Hello," Kirk says as he stands, "I am Captain James T. Kirk of the Federation Starship _Enterprise_."

"Yes," Vrax nods thoughtfully as he watches Kirk, "we know who you are, Captain Kirk."

Kirk nods as he takes a deep breath before continuing, "We have the war criminal, Nero, when you are ready we will lower our shields and you can send an away team on board to retrieve him."

"We will be ready momentarily," Vrax says and then abruptly the communications link shuts down. Kirk inhales deeply and glances around as his silent bridge crew. "This should be interesting," he muses aloud as Sulu nods quietly in agreement.

* * *

**Detainment Facility 2, Deck 4**

"Don't forget to lock his hands up," scolds Ensign Bores as he watches the other security guard reset the magnetic cuffs on Nero's hands.

The third ensign in the room lets out a low whistle as he takes in the marring green hued bruises on Nero's shoulders, "somebody certainly did a number on you didn't they?"

Nero only stares, his black gaze making all three of the security guards nervous as Lieutenant Elaine enters the room and scowls at the three of them, "do _not_ speak to the prisoner."

"Who did all that anyways?" Ensign Bores asks curiously with a raised eyebrow at Elaine.

"None of your business," Elaine tells him pointedly, "now get him up to the transporter room for the transfer."

The walk to the transporter room was going to be a long one. Between the three of them, and the several armed guards following behind them a few feet, it was going to be a momentous task getting him up to Deck 2.

They had to take the stairs.

They all wouldn't fit in the turbo lift and it was considered dangerous to even try. Nero was a violent war criminal, someone that couldn't be trusted even with several armed guards inside a turbolift. Bores wasn't particularly happy about any of this seeing as he was supposed to be on shore leave right now. He had been called back to duty when Nero was discovered and had spent the last week and a half standing guard outside the detainment facility.

"Bah," the ensign across from Bores remarks quietly, "he stinks…you think all Romulans stink like that?"

"Probably," Bores mutters irritably as he hauls Nero up the stairs. His head is lower and he stares at the ground blankly, allowing them officers to guide him up the staircase without issue.

"Don't you people ever take a bath?" the ensign mutters irritably.

"Probably doesn't know how to use the sink," Bores snickers quietly, "can't _read_ the instructions."

"Seems pretty docile doesn't he?" the other ensign says rudely, "don't see how he could have ever been any sort of threat to us."

"Yeah," Bores agrees with a nod, "You know I heard the lower class Romulans can't read standard anyways…they only know the standard Romulan dialect."

"What did Harry say he was…he overheard the Captain talking about it…said he was a _minor_?"

"Yeah…stupid Romulan…bet you can't even understand what we're saying right now huh?" Bores taunts Nero with a smirk on his lips and notes that one of Nero's ears has been partially bitten off. "Oh look! He's not even a _whole_ Romulan. Bet that was embarrassing."

"_Shut up_," Elaine snaps from somewhere behind the two men, "I told both of you to keep your mouths shut and do _not_ talk to the prisoner."

The two ensigns rolled their eyes and fell silent; knowing now that their entertainment has been taken away from them the climb up to Deck 2 was going to be a long one.

* * *

**The Bridge**

**Romulan Neutral Zone**

"Lower shields, Mr. Chekov," Kirk orders as the Romulans prepare to beam an away team aboard the _Enterprise_ to retrieve Nero.

"Lowering shields, Captain," Chekov says with a nod.

Everything was going smoothly it seemed as they waited for the away team to arrive. Kirk was on his feet and heading for the turbolift when suddenly he was face down on the floor and alarms were going off in rapid succession.

"What the…" Kirk groans as he takes in the smoke and sparking control panels around the bridge.

"Captain, we've been hit!" Sulu calls as he clambers back into the pilot's chair to examine the damage to the ship.

"Where did that come from?" Kirk demands through gritted teeth.

"Vulcan ship approaching, sir," Sulu says with a heavy sigh.

"Great…they found us," Kirk grumbles irritably.

"Romulan war bird is raising her shields, Captain," Chekov comments as the bridge crew scramble to get back to their stations.

"Good idea, considering," Kirk remarks with a roll of his eyes and sits back down in the Captain's chair. He then proceeds to contact engineering, hoping that Scotty wouldn't have anything to bad to tell him.

"Scotty, report" Kirk calls and waits for a response.

"Damage through decks seven through nine, sir," Scotty calls back, "Nothing too bad, but we won't be able to get out shields back up to full power any time soon."

Kirk grimaces and rubs his face as the Romulan Praetor appears on the screen in front of him.

"I can't say I wasn't expecting this," Kirk tells Vrax plainly, "They tried to intercept us once already."

"It was something we expected as well, Captain," Vrax tells him plainly, "We are prepared to retaliate."

"No wait," Kirk says as he holds a hand up, "Listen to me. Ambassador Sarek is most likely on that ship, just give me a chance to reason with him."

"He clearly does not desire to see reason," Vrax tells him pointedly, "If his intent is to damage your vessel."

"Captain," Chekov says, his fingers flying across the control panel in front of him, "we have intruders on Deck two."

"Send Security to Deck two, find out what the hell is going on," Kirk tells Chekov as he gets out of his chair to head for deck two, "Mr. Spock, with me, Mr. Sulu, you have the conn."

"Aye, Captain," Sulu says as he stands to take Kirk's place in the captain's chair.

Spock follows Kirk out into the turbolift, and as the doors close they both glance at each other in concern. There was a terrible chance they could lose Nero to the Vulcan's, and if they did it would become an all-out intergalactic war between the federation and both the Vulcans _and_ the Romulans.

* * *

**Nyota's POV**

The ship rocks with the impact of the assault against its haul and Nyota is awakened from dreams about a living machine that was connected to the _Narada_. Nyota blinks sleepily as she sees people running frantically back and forth through the medical bay. She's on her feet without a moment's hesitation, alarm bells going off in her head and out loud around her. She staggers through the medical bay half-dressed in a hospital gown and notices something flash by the double doors of the medical bay.

Was that…a _Vulcan_?

Nyota feels a shock of adrenaline racing through her body as she scrambles to locate and pull on a pair of pant scrubs. When she was sufficiently covered she bolted out of the medical bay amidst the chaos, because at that moment, nobody would even know she was gone.

The corridors were packed with debris and frantic crewmembers. She spots the Vulcan in question running down towards the transporter room. She follows him, picking up a piece of heavy lead piping as a means to defend her if necessary. Her body aches and burns with lack of use, her muscles screaming in protest to such activity.

She makes it to the transporter room just in time to catch wind of a conversation in Vulcan about Nero's whereabouts. She knows that this was the place where the transfer should have taken place.

So where was Nero?

Panic rips through her as she bolts towards the staircase. Her heart is hammering in her ears and the blood thrumming through her body as she all but yanks the stairwell door open and watches it slam backwards against the opposing wall behind it. The staircase is dark save for the red flashing lights overhead. She notices the escort group at the bottom, and her eyes widen momentarily in shock.

_Dead_?

Quickly she scrambles over to the intercom button and alerts medical of the injured crewmembers in the stairwell.

"Nyota?" McCoy's angry voice crackles over the comm.

"I've got to find him, Len," Nyota says back, "he's gotten loose…he's running loose on the ship somewhere!"

"_No_," McCoy snaps back, "you weren't even supposed to leave sickbay, damn it! Don't you _dare_ go after Nero alone!"

"Warn Jim!" Nyota says as she presses the comm button to respond the releases it and steps back.

She doesn't wait to listen to what else he has to say. Something deep in Nyota's gut is driving her to do this. She knows without a doubt for some unknown reason that she must find Nero. She can't explain it and she certainly _hoped_ this wasn't some kind of telepathic bond between them calling her to him. She _hoped_ this wasn't some kind of trap set up by Nero as she scrambles up the stairs towards the next level. She stops when she sees movement out of the corner of her eye and turns her head to look.

"Elaine!" Nyota cries out and drops down beside the older woman.

"He's…" Elaine chokes as she stares up at Nyota painfully, "he got loose…he…killed them…he was so _strong_."

"I know, Elaine," Nyota nods fervently, "I'm going to get him."

"Take…take," Elaine chokes as she motions towards her phaser, which was pressed up against the far wall.

Nyota nods and takes the phaser in her hands, setting it to stun. She wasn't going to kill Nero but she sure as hell wasn't going to go easy on him. She hears the sound of a medical team below and the clambering of footsteps above. She chances a look up and feels a wave of shock run through her when her eyes meet Nero's. He stares down at her with a hint of smugness in his features before he whips around and disappears through the deck level doors. Nyota grits her teeth and musters what strength she has left, chasing after him.

Four corridors and two flights of stairs later and she's chasing him into the shuttle bay; she knows she can't risk discharging her phaser in here because of the plasma containers around them, so instead she uses an old fashion human tactic. Picking up the first heavy object she can find, she throws it at him.

"_Hey_!" Nyota growls at him angrily, "where the _hell_ do you think you're going!"

He dodges them easily and laughs only to mock her, enflaming her temper even further, "Oh you think that's funny huh?"

"You're a brave little human," Nero taunts her coolly as he stops to look at her, "You've been highly entertaining but now you are beginning to irritate me."

"_Nero_!" Nyota snaps irritably, "I won't let you leave this shuttle bay."

"In case you haven't noticed," Nero comments idly from some unidentified hiding place that she has yet to find, his voice carrying all around the shuttle bay, "there's a war going on outside."

"Over _you_," Nyota growls back at him.

"All the more reason for me to vacate your ship," Nero remarks casually.

Nyota stops and listens to the silence of the shuttle bay, knowing that all personnel have been sent upwards into the ship to help with damage control. They were alone in the vast empty room and this thought made Nyota very nervous. She'd been trapped with him in a cell for four hours, but she'd been running on pure rage and adrenaline at the time. Now that she was completely coherent and thinking rationally, she realized this was a very bad situation to be in. Nero towered over her, his broad shouldered frame making her lithe body look even smaller in comparison.

"I know what you did," Nyota calls quietly out into the shuttle bay as she ducks down behind a large crate and slides to the floor, pressing her back against the hard plastic frame, "I saw her…_Mandana_."

Silence is the only response she gets but she knows she has his attention now as she continues on quietly, "I saw what you did to the Praetor…that you took the_dubrune teral'n."_

Still she got no response so she chanced to look towards the shuttles to make sure he hadn't left already and she was talking to herself. When she saw all of them still in place she continued on, sliding her frame across the cold hard ground behind the plastic crates as she continued her search for Nero, "I felt your pain…it was as real as if it were my own," Nyota tells him quietly, her voice becoming gentler because after experiencing such agony she couldn't help but feel sorry for him just a little, "I have never experienced such hate in all my life."

"_I tasted your pain,"_ Nero responds in the old Romulan dialect after a long empty silence. His voice is deeper than usual, filled with a strange emotion Nyota couldn't place. _"Why do you think I did not quiet the light in you?"_

Nyota frowns at this response but says nothing, listening for footsteps but hearing nothing. She couldn't place where his voice was coming from. The next time he speaks it is much closer and she feels a thrill of panic race through her, "_I saw the same pain, the same hate. You burn as I do."_

"_I do not," _Nyota frowns softly, "_My hate is not the same as yours."_

"_You are still very young," _Nero comments quietly, "_In time you will understand what I say."_

Nyota frowns at this, and wonders for a moment how old Nero actually is. Romulans aged around the same way as Vulcan's did, so she imagined he was probably in his early forties perhaps.

He sure didn't look forty though.

Nyota lets her mind drift back to the events of earlier. It was true; she felt horrible anger towards Spock, unbridled rage that made her want to throw things and scream. Spock had been her first love, and for a while there she had been hoping he would be her only love.

So much for that then.

Did her hate really reach cosmic levels as Nero suggested it did? Was she turning into some frigid bitch because she refused to acknowledge how she felt?

The sound of a shuttle door opening snapped her out of her thoughts as glanced to her right and caught sight of Nero entering a shuttle. "You'll never get out of here without the code," Nyota says with wicked intention. She lifts an eyebrow at him from her place on the floor and he stares down at her. It was strange how the two of them only stared at each other in complete silence before he spoke again, his voice gruff against her ears as the ancient dialect rolled off his lips, "_You should have obeyed he who told you to stay _vnu ihhei_."_

"Wild lady?" Nyota scoffs in response.

Nero is already disappearing into the shuttle when she replies and she scrambles to her feet to try and stop him. She lifts the phaser gun she'd taken from Elaine and points it at him; "Uh-uh. Get away from the controls _now_."

Nero looks at her tiredly and for some reason she gets the impression he doesn't _want_ to harm her. Not that it would stop him from doing so if necessary, Nyota thinks as an afterthought. He steps forward and for a moment she thinks he's going to stand down and go with her. She keeps her body tense because she doesn't trust him as he comes closer.

His hands shoot out faster than she realized he could move and he's twisting the phaser out of her hands before she can do anything to stop him. Her muscles are screaming but she raises a leg up to kick him squarely in the stomach, knocking him away from her. It becomes a scramble for that can reach the phaser first and, unfortunately, Nero is faster than her.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

Nyota chants in her head as Nero pins her to the ground. He looks vaguely smug and the look makes her squirm beneath him. Despite her aching body she uses the muscles in her abdomen to lift her legs up high around his waist and clench tightly. She jerks forward with all the strength she can muster and flips them over till she's straddling him. He stares up at her in surprise and to her dismay the position to which they sit gives a very good indication as to why he's looking at her like that.

Ok, so now she understood why he called her '_vnu ihhei'._

She tries to pry the phaser from his hands but Nero is too strong, not that Nyota ever hoped to out match a Romulan anyways. Nyota is desperate to resort to less than dignified ways of retrieving the weapon (namely biting his hand until he lets go) when she hears of doors being pried open somewhere behind them. It sounded like a security team much to Nyota's pleasure.

"I won't let you start a war, Nero," Nyota hisses down at him even as her strength begins to wane. She wonders vaguely why he isn't fighting harder, because she knows he's much stronger than this.

Why is he holding back?

"_Mnhei'sahe!_" he hisses up at her with a frown.

Nyota blinks down at him and sits back to stare at him. It occurs to her she's still sitting on him in an incredibly _awkward_ position to which he seems to be struggling to ignore. Nyota shakes her head down at him with a frown, "I'm not letting you escape just because you didn't pummel me into the damn floor, Nero. You can't just invoke the code of passion on me…I am not _Rihannsa_."

"_You think just because I allow you to live vnu ihhei that I will not bring you harm?" _Nero asks in the ancient tongue of his people.

"Jim, I tried to stop her!" McCoy's voice sounds in the distance, as the security team gets closer.

"I cannot believe you totally missed her walking out the door!" Jim grumbles irritably.

"Well to be fair I had twenty patients to look after and I didn't expect her to do something as _stupid_ or rash as to go after Nero alone!" McCoy snaps with a frown.

"We've gotta find her, Bones," Jim says quietly as they search the room. Nyota opens her mouth to call out but Nero's hand shoots out and covers it. His warm fingers curl tightly over her jaw and he looks at her pointedly. It is not until that moment that she feels the tip of the phaser pressed against her abdomen.

"Where the hell did the Vulcan's go?" McCoy calls as they search the shuttles.

"Spock's trying to talk them down…the Romulans have ceased fire for now…but you know Romulans…shoot first and ask questions later," Kirk says tiredly.

"Damnit I know she's in here, Jim," McCoy says as the team spreads out, "the computer said so."

Nyota looks down at Nero triumphantly who stares up at her with an unreadable expression.

"Wait…Captain, I think I've got something!" Calls another one of the security guards just outside the shuttle she and Nero were in. Nero's warm fingers cupped her jaw even tighter as he glares up at her pointedly. Just as the shuttle doors swing open and Kirk catches sight of both Nero and Nyota the unthinkable happens.

They disappear.

"Jim…" McCoy swallows thickly as they watch Nero and Nyota dematerialize and disappear from sight.

"Shit," Kirk says as he stares at the space where the two once were.

* * *

**Vulcan Ship**

**Romulan Neutral Zone**

Nyota is distinctly aware that she was no longer on the _Enterprise_. The ship she was currently on was much warmer, and she was well aware of the fact that Vulcans now surrounded her with dark eyes and hard stares. She was also aware that she was still partially dressed and completely out of uniform. The only good thing happening for her right then was that the phaser that had been pressed to her stomach was now gone and she thought perhaps Nero had dropped it in surprise. The problem with this picture however was that she was straddling the one Romulan everybody was fighting over in a _very_ unbecoming way. That same Romulan had his hot hands planted firmly on her upper thighs in a _very_ suggestive way, the heat of his skin seeping through the thin layer of medical scrubs she had on. Much to her dismay as her eyes searched the crowd she noticed Sarek was standing directly in front of her with a glacial look on his face and his dark eyes boring into hers, and Spock was right beside him with a matching stare of his own though his eyes were set on the Romulan beneath her.

This was going to be hard to explain.


	4. Revolve

Disclaimer: I do not own anything and make no money from any of it. All of it belongs to those who created Star Trek.

* * *

**Vulcan Ship**

**Romulan Neutral Zone**

There were at least 10,000 words in the English language. Over a 100,000 in Vulcan, and Nyota couldn't seem to muster the ability to put one sentence together. She sat perched on top of _Nero_ of all people, who was not only pressing very intimately against her, but also _clinging_ to her. As she stared at the Vulcans around her who stared back just as intently with the tell-tale eyebrow lift of doom, she thought she could say something along the lines of _'this isn't what it looks like' _or '_I was struggling to get the gun from his hands'_ or even '_I _fell_ on top of him!"_

What did come out of her mouth however was not nearly so intelligent.

"I…_found_ him?" she blurts out lamely as more a question then a statement and one of Sarek's eyebrows disappears into the neat cut of his bangs.

Sarek aims a reproachful _almost_ glare (because Vulcans do _not_ glare) at her and rumbles out in a low tone, "_Clearly_."

It did not help that Nero chose to slide his fever hot hands up higher at that precise moment, his fingertips brushing against what bare skin they could find under the federation standard hospital gown which was bunched up in her lap. She felt her eye twitch momentarily and her jaw slacken as his fingers trailed higher and drew heated circular patterns across the bare skin of her hips.

She swallowed thickly and stared down at Nero's dark expression with a mixture of rage and disgust. His eyes were boring into hers and she detected just the slightest hint of smug satisfaction and wicked intention.

He was trying to antagonize her.

In front of _Spock_.

"When you feel it amenable, please remove your person from the prisoner so that we might detain him elsewhere," Sarek's sharp voice cuts into her thoughts and she blinks up at him.

"_Oh_!" Nyota says and dumbly clambers to her feet, gritting her teeth as Nero intentionally slides his _stupid,_ hot fingertips down her thighs as she does so.

She watches two Vulcan guards roughly haul Nero up to his feet and cart him off down the long corridor outside of the transporter room. An awkward silence follows until Sarek who, after several glances in his son's direction, speaks up, "You require clothes."

"I do," Nyota agrees stiffly, trying her best to cover herself though the hospital gown she is currently wearing is more like a sheet that ties in three places across her back.

Clearly she didn't plan for _this_.

She had a sneaking suspicion that half of the Vulcan council was currently present, giving them all a front row seat to her _indecency_. She swallows nervously and hears several Vulcan's towards the back of the large group tittering suspiciously behind their hands.

This was _humiliating_.

As if on cue Spock snaps out of whatever revelry he was dwelling upon when his father vocalizes her requirements. He strips off his blue uniform shirt and steps forward, handing it over to her with his dark eyes meeting hers. The shirt was two sizes too big for her but she wasn't complaining as she pulled it on over her head. It drapes down just above her knees and Nyota has to roll the sleeves up to her elbows to be able to maneuver in it properly.

She also finds it oddly amusing and rather odd that Spock would hand over his own shirt like that. Apparently his father feels the same way as he stares at his son with a fiercely blank expression, however his curious eyes speak volumes. Nyota feels awkward now, standing on the transporter platform with twenty or so Vulcan's staring at her so she steps down and instantly regrets it. Now that she is floor level they tower over her, and it makes their curious and disapproving stares twice as intimidating.

"Perhaps Ms…?" Sarek says with a raised eyebrow as he looks at Nyota pointedly.

"Uhura, Sir," Nyota chimes in readily, "Lieutenant Uhura."

"Lieutenant Uhura," Sarek continues as he levels his gaze on her "would care for more…_proper_…attire?"

Spock doesn't blink or make a move to escort Nyota elsewhere for more clothes. She has to stare at him intently for a somewhat lengthy amount of time before he blinks and nods stiffly. "If you would please follow me, Lieutenant."

Nyota follows Spock obediently, grateful to be out from under the harsh stares of those in the room that they leave. Spock is eerily silent as she follows him to the guest quarters at the back of the ship. It wasn't until they enter the room and the door shuts behind them that she could read the tension in his shoulders as he disappears into a nearby closet and digs out a pair of plain but pretty dark Vulcan robes.

"Spock?" Nyota asks with a raised eyebrow, "You know…if I've got to stay here for some particular reason, I can just go back to the ship and get one of my uniforms."

"No," Spock says quietly though his voice was strained, "You cannot leave the ship until the Elders have retrieved what must be seen."

"Wait…what?" Nyota says in alarm.

"They will take your thoughts and examine them," Spock says plainly, "to understand what has transgressed between you and Nero."

"Wait they don't think I…we…he…" Nyota says as she shakes her head in disbelief, shock etched across her face.

"They must be certain he is not manipulating you," Spock says flatly.

Nyota takes the proffered robes from his grasp and stalks into the bathroom with irritation. She quickly shrugs out of the clothes she wore and into the heavy dark Vulcan robes. Staring at her hair (which was a mess) she quickly ran her fingers through it and pulled it back in a long thick braid down her back, tearing off a piece of the elastic from the hospital gown to tie off the end. When she is suitably dressed, she stalks back out and observes Spock staring out the window. He turns to glance at her with a lifted eyebrow and she refuses to say anything. The uncomfortable silence between them is unnerving so she turns to admire the beautiful Vulcan masonry on top of a nearby dresser.

She does not hear him walk up behind her; she is only aware of his presence when his fever hot hands slide over her hips and press her up against the dresser. She lets out a yelp of mild indignation and shock when she feels his nose sliding across her shoulder and into her hair. She feels the hard lines of his body hot against the skin of her back through her robes and suppresses a little moan of pleasure. His fingers are digging into her hips as he rubs his cheek along the side of hers, and Nyota almost wants to shove him away and pull him closer to her at the same time. She can sense that he's right at the edge of his control, standing at the precipice of something unknown to her. If she were to move now or try to get away from him it would be surely as if she'd shove him over the edge herself. She has only ever seen him like this once during their relationship. It had been a particularly rough night for her, after being hit on by some guy at a bar off campus and Spock had just_happened_ to see it.

She feels the edges of his sharp teeth raking across her sensitive skin and she can't help but whimper because she is still bruised and sore. He rumbles a warning at her, a low vibration deep in his chest against her back. She stiffens in response and he pushes her harder up against the dresser, pressing himself against her as tightly as he can.

He lifts his hands and keeps them firmly against the dresser drawers on either side of her, effecting blocking any means of escape. She knows why he does this and understands that it is out of respect for her privacy. He won't connect with her unless she wants him too, and right now after everything that happened with Nero she doesn't want _anyone_ touching her mind.

A little soft gasp of surprise bursts from her lips at the feel of him, hard and insistent against her lower back. He is rumbling now, a constant low sound of pleasure that vibrates against her back as he presses intently against her until she's panting and pushing back against him in response.

She shouldn't be doing this.

The teeth at her shoulder were becoming more insistent and the hands pressed against the dress were beginning to splinter the wood under the force to which he was pressing against it. "_Spock_," Nyota manages to gasp out as she pants embarrassingly loud. Her eyes meet his in the mirror that's connected at the top of the dresser, deep Vulcan eyes peering back at her, burning across her skin in the most primitive way.

"We have to stop," she manages to get out as she turns her gaze away from his, her cheeks coloring hotly. He stares unblinkingly at her, the irises of his eyes disappearing completely as they turn black with some emotion she can't name. He blinks his inner eyelids at her and that is enough to snap her out of it; reminds her intently that Spock is not human and currently not thinking rationally, he would not understand why they needed to stop. His mind was elsewhere right now, and the only way she was going to get him to back off was to try and reason with him logically.

"Your father is out there," she said gently, "the council is out there. We need to go back out there and talk to them."

He growls his disproval when she tries to shift her weight between his chest and the dresser so that she can turn to face him. He towers over her and she has to stand on her tip toes to slide her arms over his shoulders, "_Spock_," she murmurs as he bends his head down to rub his cheek against hers, "Spock we have to stop now." She runs her nails through his hair soothingly, suppressing the hint of a smile when he pushes up against her hand like a contented cat.

"Spock," Nyota says with slightly more force this time as she cautiously takes hold of his wrists, careful to touch only the sleeves of his black undershirt and gently lift them away from the dresser so that she can step out from in front of him. He lets her, his arms going limp at his sides as he watches her like a lion watches its prey. She paces the room behind him and his eyes follow her.

"You're making me nervous," Nyota says with a slight frown, "you know very well why I don't want you touching me so stop looking at me like a kicked puppy."

"Nyota," he finally manages to grouse out in a deep rough voice she doesn't recognize. The sound of it sends a shiver down her spine and she looks away from him. "Nyota," Spock continues as he steps towards her, "you will listen to me."

"There isn't anything left to say, Spock," Nyota sighs heavily as she tries to push down any sort of emotion that threatens to bubble to the surface. She ties her heavy dark robes in place and straightens her hair.

"It was a necessity of my biology...one that I have no control over and it is something that took place long before you and I met. I was bound to T'Pring when I was but seven years of age," Spock begins and presses on before Nyota can reply, "I regret my actions towards you immensely but you must understand why I did not speak of the…_pon farr_…to you so openly."

"Spock," Nyota says with a sigh as she rubs her face, "you could have told me…I would have listened…it's something you should have told me before we started all of…_this_," Nyota says as she motions a hand between them for emphasis, "not when _I love you_ more than…not when..." she groans and closes her eyes, searching for the right words before she continues, "I told you things about myself…things I'd never tell my own _mother_," Nyota says fervently and glares at him, "I trusted you implicitly, with my life…my heart…everything that I am. You mean to tell me that you couldn't trust me with this secret about your specie's mating rituals? That because I'm…I'm _human_, I'm not allowed to know even though you and I…oh hell what am I saying," Nyota laughs bitterly, "I'm beginning think this whole thing was just some sort of experiment to satisfy your Vulcan curiosity."

"You know that I would not do such a thing," Spock says with a flat expression.

"Spock," Nyota says firmly as she glares at him, "you lied to me, you know. You could have told me the truth and I would have listened, hell I might even have understood! I might even have still wanted you because, _hey_, you can't help it. It's your biology you can't control that," Nyota says in frustration as she wrings her hands in irritation, "you couldn't help that you were betrothed to some woman you didn't know when you were seven but seriously…you could have told me."

"I did not lie to you, Nyota," Spock tells her in what he hoped might be a flat voice though he was pretty sure it was starting to get louder of its own accord, "I merely miscalculated my actions. I thought that perhaps if you knew I was betrothed you would not…" Spock trails off and he takes a deep breath, "I believed you would find me unsatisfactory."

"Maybe not _then_," Nyota sighs as she shakes her head, "but I sure as hell do _now_."

She doesn't wait for his response and instead storms out of the guest room, tears burning in her eyes that she frantically tries to wipe away before someone sees her. As she walks down the long corridors she straightens her robes out, smoothing the wrinkles out with her hands before she enters the bridge of the ship and drops the expression from her face, keeping her emotions tightly wrapped. She knows how to behave in Vulcan society, a talent she picked up from dating one for so long.

"_Wimish ot-lan Uhura_," Nyota begins in flawless Vulcan as she approaches the council members her hand raised in salute and adds, "_Dif-tor heh smusma_."

"_T'nar pak sorat y'rani_," says one of the female elders to her right, holding up her hand in a return salute.

"_T'nar jaral," _Nyota replies smoothly.

The elder woman looks at her thoughtfully with a raised eyebrow, "your _Vuhlkansu_ is excellent, Lieutenant."

Nyota tilts her head politely in the elder's direction but says nothing more. She knows better than to fall into the '_thanks are illogical_' trap, which it appeared the elder in question was readily expecting her to say. When the elder gets not response she almost seems pleased (for a Vulcan at least) and turns towards Sarek who has joined them. He tilts his head at Nyota and takes her robes into consideration, "you are properly attired," he states, regarding her attire with approval.

"I am," Nyota replies evenly.

"Very well," Sarek says as he meets her gaze and she could have sworn she saw amusement in his eyes at her refusal to fall into any Vulcan conversation traps, "let us begin."

* * *

**Enterprise**

**Romulan Neutral Zone**

"Mr. Spock, is Lieutenant Uhura on board their vessel?" Kirk calls through his communicator as he enters the bridge.

"Yes, Captain, she is," Spock responds shortly after, "I did not anticipate her arrival."

"Neither did we," Kirk groans quietly.

"Captain, might I inquire as to how Lieutenant Uhura came to be onboard my father's vessel with Nero?" Spock says into his own communicator as he walks towards the bridge of his father's ship.

"Long story, tell you later…did your Father talk to the Romulans?" Kirk asks as he sits down in the Captain's chair.

"Yes, Captain," Spock responds evenly, "while you were searching the ship my father worked out a compromise with them. He is familiar with one of the senators and they discussed a compromise over Nero which proves to be quite satisfactory to both sides."

"Good," Kirk sighs in relief, "the last thing we need is to get caught in the middle of a fire fight."

"Agreed, Captain" Spock replies as he enters the bridge and glances to his left where Nyota is currently surrounded by the Vulcan elders discussing Nero.

"Keep me updated," Kirk replies as McCoy approaches him.

"Understood," Spock's voice crackles over the intercom of Kirk's communicator.

"Kirk out," Jim replies and shuts off his communicator and looks at McCoy.

"Do you think he saw her _straddling_ the Romulan?" McCoy asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh yeah," Kirk groans as he rubs his face, "I bet he did."

* * *

**Vulcan Ship (Spock's POV)**

**Romulan Neutral Zone**

"_Ko-su kae qual tas'a_," says the female elder who holds Nyota's temples between her hands.

He watches in silent contemplation and listens as the elders speak. They believe her mind is in chaos and, from what he understands, they are seeking to discover what has happened between Nyota and Nero in the last several hours.

"_Kash-nohv…kae'at k'lasa_," murmurs the elder in question with a deep set look on her face as she gazes down at Nyota and then at Sarek.

Spock's head snaps up at the mention of such a crime, startled at what the elder has said. Has someone melded with Nyota without her permission? Why didn't Kirk tell him about this?

"Yes," Sarek comments quietly, "Doctor McCoy mentioned that we should examine her mind for traces of _kash-nohv_…he believes it was done unintentionally."

"It will take much time to re-order her thoughts Sarek," the elder says quietly as she closes her eyes again and then murmurs even softer in the high tongue of the Vulcan people, the ancient dialect, "_her memories are not her own_."

Spock tries not to visibly stiffen but he can't help the glacial feeling that spreads through his body. He now understands why the Doctor had been avoiding him, why Kirk had been so quiet and why his father had asked for him to come aboard personally. Sarek glances at him with a raised eyebrow and he strains not to reflect any personal thoughts on the matter physically. He stares down at Nyota and feels rage eating away at his insides at the thought of Nero polluting her mind, touching her memories and thoughts when they were not his to touch.

"_How is it a Rihanha came to touch her mind?" _Another elder questions Sarek in the old dialect curiously.

"Apparently," Sarek says in standard, which Spock assumes is for Nyota's benefit alone, "the use of mind-altering drugs reawakened his psionic abilities."

"_Ko-su kashek og-elakh sa-Nero…"(her mind is entwined/threaded with his/Nero) _the elder holding Nyota's head says somberly though her brows are furrowed in frustration, "_Ve'bara t'kapa ay'sao."(His pain is now hers.)_

Spock frowns at the elder's words as he glances at his father for an explanation who readily steps towards him, hands clasped behind his back as he regards his son carefully, "Did the Captain not speak to you of the Lieutenant's ordeal with Nero?"

"Negative," Spock responds neutrally.

"Due to Nero's inexperience with our people's ways, and therefore a complete lack in control, he established a mind-meld with the Lieutenant unintentionally which has created great turmoil in her mind. He has transferred some of his own memories and emotions to her and in which case most likely some of her own was given to him. The elders have been asked to sort out her mind and fix whatever Nero may have inadvertently damaged."

He falls silent because he has nothing to say. There is a strange ringing in his ears as his hands clench involuntarily. He longs to wrap his fingers around Nero's throat and squeeze until his clavicle snaps and he chokes on his own blood. Spock inhales sharply, struggling to suppress the intense urges that Nero brings forth in him. His father is watching him carefully, his dark eyes staring intently and his brows furrowed together. "_This is the one you spoke of is it not?" _Sarek asks his son quietly in Vulkansu so that the others would not hear them.

"_It is father," _he responds quietly in Vulkansu.

"_Did she not find you unsatisfactory?" _Sarek asks with a (almost) frown on his lips.

"_She has rejected my…advances," _Spock responds quietly, _"she is displeased with which the manner I ascertained her affections."_

"_You're mother warned you,"_ Sarek responds evenly, _"I warned you…you swore an oath to honor the Vulcan way and you required a Vulcan mate. If you had discovered a suitable mate elsewhere you need only to bring her to T'Pau and have the bond severed with T'Pring."_

"_I thought perhaps you would…disapprove of my choice," _Spock responds quietly, _"I wanted only she who is my beloved…I felt when the time became necessary I would take her to Vulcan and release T'Pring so I may complete the Pon Farr with her instead."_

"_You misunderstand humans Spohkh,"_ Sarek sighs heavily, "_they do not honor logic as we do. They are emotional and temperamental. Human customs dictate that you must have only one lover and no other. Humans are monogamous creatures by nature and to love one and hide another without revealing it to your beloved would be considered betrayal…deceit."_

Spock found he was not entirely comfortable talking about this with his father; His father who rarely spoke of love or affection, his father who married a human woman because he _loved _her, but ensured to reflect upon his son that love was illogical.

"_She gave me no chance to explain father,"_ Spock murmurs quietly, _"she is my chosen…but she denies me." _

_"She denies you because she does not understand our ways Spohkh,"_ Sarek says pointedly, "_You should have listened to your mother on this matter and explained it to her long ago."_

"_Humans are difficult father," _Spock says with a (almost) frown_, "If I were to tell her I intended to make her my mate long ago…" _Spock truly does frown this time and his father makes a soft noise of disapproval, "_Shan'hal'lak_…" he murmurs under his breath and glances back at Nyota and then at his son, "_Do not entrust your katra to one so young Spohkh…she will not live as long as you will."_

"_She is __**mine**__," _Spock says firmly and stares at Nyota thoughtfully_._

"_If she will have you, my son,"_ Sarek replies with a hard stare aimed at Spock. Spock wonders at the concern in his father's eyes. He knows that Nyota will not live as long as he will. That one-day she will wither and die and he will have hardly aged at all.

He will be forced to live without her one day.

"It is done," the elder says aloud in standard as she releases Nyota's head from between her hands. Nyota blinks sleepily, her eyes moving slow and languid like an owl peering out into the night. She struggles to her feet and straightens her robes. Spock watches her slow and sluggish movements as she struggles to orient herself to her surroundings.

"You will retain memories, emotions, that belong to Nero," the elder told her quietly, "but you will not suffer from his pain. I found no link that would bind you to him."

Spock can feel relief flooding his system as he watches the relief flood Nyota's expression. Her shoulders visibly relax and she lets out a little sigh before recovering herself and hiding her emotions. The elder continues on and the next thing that she says makes him freeze up inside, irritation boiling just under the surface as the elder speaks, "he however," the elder says pointedly, "will retain knowledge of you. The _kash-nohv _he performed was inexperienced and clumsy. He did not understand what he was doing and he was ignorant of his actions…you are lucky that he did not take more than he did."

Nyota visibly tenses and he feels the same flood of fear. The elder was referring to the mating bond, something that Nero could have easily taken without realizing it. He could have permanently bound them together, and with the kind of strength he used, it may not have been able to be severed without either killing Nyota or driving them both mad from bond sickness.

Nyota nods her head politely in response and watches the elders walk away. She glances towards him and his father and he steadies himself as she walks towards him. "I must return to the _Enterprise_," she says easily and Sarek nods, "you have done us a great service in…_capturing _Nero."

Nyota blushes scarlet and stares at her feet for a moment before meeting Sarek's gaze once more, she slips into the Vulcan dialect flawlessly as if she were born to it and Spock can't help but feel pride for the one who would be his. She gives his father the traditional Vulcan salute with the accompanying words that follow and then she's walking towards the transporter room.

He's following behind her without even realizing that he's moved.

* * *

**Nyota's POV**

He was following her.

She was trying her best attempt at ignoring the heat that radiates from his body, his proximity making it hard to miss. He wasn't necessarily crowding her but he was quite close, close enough to make other Vulcan males raise upswept eyebrows and titter quietly to each other when Nyota passes by. She grits her teeth with her lips pressed thin, irritation etched across her face.

Damn _stubborn_ Vulcan.

"I'm sure I can make it to the transporter room on my own, Spock," Nyota mutters quietly.

"I must return as well," he replies evenly and she tries to ignore the hint of smugness in his voice.

"Is it necessary to stand that close to me?" she mutters back while they're in the turbo lift that's carrying them to the deck level where the transporter room is.

"No," he responds evenly and she blinks in surprise at his answer, "but it is quiet amenable to me to do so." Her surprise turns to annoyance and she rolls her eyes, crossing her arms and huffing quietly.

"What part of "leave me alone" don't you understand?" she grouses after a long moment of silence.

"I will "leave you alone" as you put it when you truly wish that of me," Spock responds and meets her gaze with his own. She can see the fierce determination in his eyes and the stubborn Vulcan in him refusing to relent.

"I _do_ truly wish that of you right now," Nyota grits her teeth.

"_Right now_," Spock says as he stares down at her with molten black eyes in response and Nyota huffs indignantly and turns her gaze away from his. "You say one thing and do another," Spock says quietly, "you deny me at every turn but your _body_," he says as he leans in close near her shoulder to inhale the scent of skin for emphasis, "tells me something entirely different."

"Stop it," she hisses and bats him away from her, glaring up at him, "stop trying to touch me. Stop trying to …to _smell_ me!"

He glares back down at her and then turns his gaze to stare directly ahead of him. Nyota can see his expression shift and the glacial Vulcan façade take over. He is angry and frustrated with her, but also deeply hurt. She has spent enough time with him to know when she's hurt him in some way.

"You hurt me to you know," she frowns up at him even when he refuses to look at her, "don't act like the innocent victim here."

"You are so…_obstinate_," Spock growls out lowly and Nyota blinks at the roughness of his voice, "you _speak_ but never _listen_!"

"I think I've heard quiet enough actually," Nyota glares up at him.

When the turbo lift doors open Spock doesn't look at her when he answers, already walking out of the lift ahead of her, "It surprises me that with such linguistic skills you fail to listen when it is _most__important_."

Nyota chuffs in response and follows him out of the lift, fighting back tears once more. He makes her heart ache desperately and part of her is torn between pulling him closer to her or shoving him out of the nearest air lock.

She is so deep in her thoughts that she doesn't notice that Spock has stopped directly in front of her and she huffs in indignation when her face collides with his upper back. "_Spock_!" Nyota hisses irritably. It is then that she notices that it is very quiet.

_Too_ quiet.

"Stay behind me," Spock says quietly as he presses onward cautiously, Nyota staying two steps behind him as she takes in the long empty corridor before them. There is a Vulcan soldier sprawled out near the door to the transporter room, his neck clearly broken. Spock kneels to examine the soldier and then his expression hardens as he inhales deeply. She keeps to the shadows, watching Spock search the long corridor. After an unbearable length of time she can no longer just stand there and picks up the disruptor that the Vulcan soldier had dropped. She glances in each doorway as she passes, cautiously easing towards Spock who was several feet ahead of her.

Several things happened far too quickly in succession for Nyota to categorize right away. There was a loud cry, almost like a roar, a vibration formed deep in the chest and expelled out with such ferocity Nyota winced and covered her ears, the disruptor tumbling from her hands and clattering against the cold ground at her feet. She looks up to see Spock struggling, a lead pipe in his hands held diagonally to ward of the heavy double sided sword that was pressing closer and closer to his face. Nyota lets out a cry of fear as she takes in the wielder of the blade. Nero's muscles flex under the tattered remains of his clothes as he presses down with all his might, gritting his teeth as he glares at Spock. The two twist and turn like experienced warriors, well trained in combat. Nyota staggers backwards as the fight comes closer to her, Spock raising his foot and planting it firmly in the middle of Nero's stomach before pushing off of him with great force. Nero reels backwards and slams against the far wall but retains his grip on the blade. She recognizes the sword as being something traditional that Vulcan military personnel carry. As she watches, Nyota mildly wonders if Spock was taught this fighting style because he was doing extraordinarily well considering he only had a lead pipe to defend himself with.

She waits until Nero is too distracted to notice her and picks up the disruptor, aiming at Nero's shoulder. Squeezing the trigger she waits for the telltale kick back of the weapon and when nothing happens to growls in irritation.

It was broken.

_No wonder Nero didn't take it_, Nyota grouses to herself irritably as she searches for something else to help Spock with. She spots a long wide piece of what appeared to be sheet metal. It was thick and heavy as Nyota lifted it into her arms and charged towards the two sparring men.

"_Hey_!" Nyota shouts and Nero is momentarily distracted as he turns to look back at her. Roughly she swings the metal with all her strength, striking Nero across his right shoulder and knocking him sideways. Spock takes his chance and clambers for the sword, struggling to pry it from Nero's grasp.

This was the mistake that changed everything.

Romulans were widely known for their remarkable strength and ingenuity. They designed ships that could only be navigated and traversed by a Romulan. Little is known about the origins of their ship's designs, but they are unique in style and arrangement. The first thing that a person would notice within a Romulan ship, especially a _mining_ ship would be the lack of stairs or turbo lifts. Due to the extensive need for space on a mining ship to haul cargo back to their home world, Romulans chose to build cliff like corridors and walk ways that lined the inner haul of the ship. Romulans have a natural ability for jumping, the cords and muscles in their legs developed through evolution and time due to the demanding need to both run and jump in life threatening situations. Romulus had not been a very peaceful planet when they had arrived and it took time and evolution for them to adapt to their environment. Due to this innate ability it became widely known that Romulans were by far one of the most unique and peculiar races in the universe.

Over time a saying developed, '_Never kick a Romulan_.' Mainly this was because Romulans could easily kick twice as hard, and at the moment Spock was currently in a rather precarious position. He seemed to realize this and so did _Nero_. With a twisted grin Nero shoves outwards roughly, growling as he does so and sends Spock sprawling backwards in a loud grunt of pain. Nyota cries out in fear as Spock slides down the far wall and doesn't move. She is fairly certain that Nero has broken one of his ribs (or possibly several) and there is a tiny trail of green blood sliding down his forehead where his head cracked against the far wall. He slumped to one side and Nyota aches to rush towards him, to make sure that he's even _alive_.

Nero is on his feet charging towards her before she can make a move. He's moving _fast_, and she staggers backwards because the ferocious look on his face makes her (almost) certain that he's going to kill her now. Nyota realizes she has nowhere to run but tries to anyways, weighed down exhaustingly by the thick Vulcan robes that hung from her body. His hand shoots out and she can't surprise the cry of fear and rage as he grips her tightly by the shoulder and drags her towards him.

Where was her bravado now?

She realizes her mistake and grits her teeth against it. Not that Nero was all strength and menace (because apparently he'd been faking submission the entire time) she knows that she is not nearly strong enough to fight him and counts her lucky stars that he hadn't killed her back on the _Enterprise_.

Why did she think it was a good idea to go after him again?

He's gripping her arm painfully as he all but drags her down the corridor behind him, his face a hard implacable mask of determination. He's bleeding and sweaty and it was smearing onto the sleeves of her robe where several deep gashes had been inflicted upon his hands. He breaths heavily through his nose and keeps his mouth firmly shut, his lips pressed into a thin line as he hauls her down the emergency stairwell, Nyota all but running down the steps to keep up with his much wider stride. She knows better to fight him right now, it was one thing to attack when you had an advantage but right now Nero was fully coherent and furious. Not to mention he was armed with a _very_sharp looking doubled sided Vulcan blade.

She had no idea what he wanted her for.

Quietly she tried to sort out what he could possibly need her for. Why was he dragging her along with him when he could have simply knocked her out or just left her there and ran off? Nyota yelps as he abruptly yanks on her arm and glares down at her with black unfathomable eyes, and for the first time she notices his pupils are rimmed in gold. Snapping out of her thoughts she realizes she had stopped and thus the need for him to pull on her arm so roughly.

"_Yhfivrii_!" he says gruffly and turns to start walking again.

Nyota glares at him but allows him to drag her onward. They enter the lower level of the ship shortly after and he's dragging her into the shuttle bay. Nyota feels a flicker of triumph because surely this ship would have more than just a skeleton crew piloting it. She waits to see how Nero will hand the crew members in the shuttle bay. To her dismay it is dismally empty save for four armed Vulcan guards who Nero dispatches easily, swinging the blade over his head with calculated force. She can't help but admire his form as he moves, because the curious and intellectual part of her has always wanted to see what Romulan combat would be like with_Romulans_.

She mentally scolds herself for letting her curiosity deviate her from what was really going on. She has always been a highly curious and adaptive student and she feels guilty for observing like she was, she feels pity for the poor Vulcan guards who get tossed against the far wall like rag dolls. Nero was determined if not completely tenacious in his efforts for freedom. She imagined that in ordinary circumstances he was not nearly so avid a fighter; that perhaps he had to learn to fight like this. Perhaps Nero (once upon a time) was not such a madman. Perhaps he had been normal like her; perhaps (as she remembers avidly from her dreams) he'd been a hard working husband who suffered great loss. This is did not condone his actions and if anything it made them worse.

Mandana would be ashamed.

She is shaken from her thoughts when he yanks her too her feet from where he left her nearby and drags her behind him towards a shuttle. "_What do you want from me?" _Nyota says desperately in Romulan, twisting in his grip as he opens the shuttle doors and tries to drag her inside of it. _"Unhand me! You will let this one go!"_Nyota screams out, realizing too late that she said it in Vulcan instead of Romulan.

"_You will fly it," _he demands in Romulan as he tosses the blade down inside the shuttle and darts forward and wraps his arms around her waist. She screams as he lifts her off her feet and carries her into the shuttle. She thrashes in his grip and hits him as hard as she can, beating her fists against his shoulders and back as he walks towards the shuttle's controls. He drops her unceremoniously to the ground and then closes the shuttle doors. Nyota scrambles to stand but one of his hands is curling around her jaw tightly and he leans close, his hot breath on her face as he speaks, _"You will fly it or you will fly _behind_ it."_

Nyota glares up at him with burning rage as he shoves her towards the pilot's seat. A thought occurs to her as she struggles to figure out the controls, and she stiffens at the realization. "You can't read Vulcan, can you?" Nyota says and stifles the bitter urge to laugh in his face.

"_Hna'h_!" he snaps irritably and presses the blade (which apparently he's picked up again, much to Nyota's dismay) more firmly into the fabric covering her shoulder.

"_Alright_!" Nyota snaps back in standard angrily and flips a few buttons, the sound of power racing through the shuttle as it prepares for flight. She uses the remote access panel to open the shuttle bay doors just as the sound of angry Vulcan soldiers erupts somewhere outside the shuttle.

"_S'hevre n'fevfrif_," he tells her pointedly in Romulan like the Captain he (_thinks_) he is.

Nyota begrudgingly raises the shields and then considers the order afterwards. It was probably for the best considering that they were now sitting in a metal death trap (in _space_) the size of a small meteorite compared to the enterprise and the Vulcan ship behind them.

Not to mention the Romulan war bird off to their left.

They were _massively_ outnumbered here.

"We will never make it," Nyota hisses at him, "There are three fully armed and fully _pissed off_ battle ships around us!"

"_Shut your mouth and open your eyes wild lady,"_ he tells her pointedly, "_watch and see how a Romulan wins battles."_

"_You are insane," _she hisses back in Romulan_, "We will be blown to pieces!"_

"_Jump to warp," _he commands her flatly_, "take us to these coordinates."_

She watches him pull a small worn piece of paper out of his pants pocket and spread it out onto the control panel beside her. It looked like a map of some sort with random pieces of Romulan writing scattered all over it. "What is that?" she asks in standard with a frown on her lips.

"_Be silent." _He snaps irritably and glares at her before turning his attention back to the map_._

Nyota glares at him and jumps to warp, locking in the coordinates he provided. She is trembling as she holds the controls in her grasp, grateful that Sulu had spent some one-on-one time with her and improved on her piloting skills.

* * *

**Enterprise (Kirk's POV)**

"Jim…where is that shuttle going?" McCoy says as he catches sight of the Vulcan shuttlecraft leaving. He's currently holding a list of injured crewmembers and the results of Nero's brain wave scans. Kirk is staring at him expectantly, waiting for him to explain the jumble of medical terms in front of him when McCoy's words snap his attention back to the screen in front of them.

"Oh _shit_," Jim groans and knows the answer without having to ask, "_not again_!"

"Captain, we are being hailed by the Ambassador," says the replacement communications officer.

"I bet we are," Kirk groans as he rubs his face and Ambassador Sarek appears onscreen, looking disheveled and mildly irritated.

"What happened?" Jim asks without even waiting for Sarek to speak.

"I imagine you have already sorted an answer for yourself, Captain," Sarek says tiredly, "He has stolen a shuttlecraft and fled for parts unknown. The only reason we did not remote-destruct it was because we knew he had Lieutenant Uhura on board with him."

"He's got Uhura?" Kirk says with raised eyebrows, "why the hell would he want her?"

"Mostly likely as a means to negate our attempts to destroy the craft and also to use her talent with the Vulcan language, I doubt he is capable of speaking it let alone read any of it." Sarek tells him pointedly.

"What's stopping the Romulans from blasting it out of the sky then?" Kirk asks with a frown.

"Nothing," Sarek says gravely.

Kirk nods and looks over at the communications officer, "Hail Praetor Vrax and tell him what has happened, ask him not to fire on that shuttlecraft until we have safely retrieved Lieutenant Uhura."

"Aye, Captain," says the officer who turns away and starts tapping on the screen in front of her feverishly.

"Mr. Sulu, track that shuttle," Kirk nods in his direction and then looks at McCoy, "were going to have to do all of _this_…"Kirk says as he motions towards the paperwork in McCoy's hands, "later."

"Captain," calls a nearby officer, "we're being held by Praetor Vrax."

"On screen," Kirk sighs heavily.

"Captain Kirk," Vrax says as he levels his gaze on him, "We understand the precarious situation your Lieutenant is in and we shall hand this ourselves. It is a Romulan matter."

"With all due respect, Praetor, one of my crew members has been kidnapped, I'm not going to just sit here and do nothing while Nero gets away," Kirk tells him firmly.

"Understand this, Captain Kirk," Vrax says with narrowed eyes, his voice cold and hard, "Nero has fled into the Romulan Neutral zone and if you were to cross our borders without permission it would be an act of _war_."

Kirk stares at the screen for a few moments before nodding, "We'll see about that."

Vrax cancels the transmission without another word and Kirk looks over at the officer currently covering for Uhura, "Alert Starfleet command of our situation and find out what they want us to do."

"Jim, there's no way in hell Starfleet command's going to condone an act of war over one lieutenant," McCoy says quietly.

"Over Nero though," Kirk says with a tilt of his head, "they just might."


	5. Run

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or make any money from any of it; all of it belongs to those who created Star Trek.

* * *

**Middle of Nowhere…Space…**

**Vulcan Shuttlecraft**

Nyota was glaring vehemently at the disgruntled Romulan next to her. He was muttered quietly to himself as he looked over the map in front of him. She wait for more orders but when he gave none she got up out of her seat to head to the restroom. He started at her movements, a hand shooting out to grab her wrist. She glares at him irritably "If you want me to help you, I need to be at least allowed a few minor comforts…all I want to do is go use the restroom, that ok with you?"

He stares at her for a moment, dark eyes boring into hers before he releases her wrist, "jackass," she mutters quietly under her breath. He's huffing in response and she can't stop the burning irritation he creates within her.

The restroom is tiny and (thankfully) clean. She washes her face and discards her outer robes because they are stained and ripped. She is left in the silk robes that were underneath it and as she examines the braid in her hair she finds it lax. Grumbling she re-braids it, cursing Nero with every foul Romulan word she can think of for being such an outrageous prick. When she finishes she is already beginning to fight the horrible wrenching feeling in her heart, the terrible ache that perhaps Spock might just be dead, her precious Vulcan, the one whom she'd do anything for.

Even if he was a gigantic asshole sometimes.

Tears were burning in her eyes and she wiped at them fervently. She recalls the last few things they said to each other and she lets out a little sob of regret. Spock's final thoughts were probably that she hated him, and he died believing that she did.

Abruptly she is pulled from her thoughts as Nero begins to bang on the door, his rough voice an aggravated sound like gravel crushing under her feet, "_You will hurry."_

"_You will be patient_," she snaps back in Romulan and gasps when she hears the sound of metal creaking under the weight to which he uses to pry the doors open. "_Stop _that you creep!" Nyota howls in indignation but falls silent at the fierce scowl on his face.

"_Foolish wild lady,"_ he hisses angrily at her as he grips her by her upper arm and drags her out of the bathroom, "_You will obey me_."

"Get your hands off of me!" Nyota growls at him in standard, "I don't know how women are treated on Romulus but on my planet men show some respect!"

She feels ridiculous being so demanding with him. She knows she has no power to stop him from doing whatever he wants but she can't help the anger she feels for him. There are words on the tip of her tongue, burning words of hate in the old Romulan dialect that she aches to spit at him like an enraged cat cornered by some burly dog.

"_Where I am from," _Nero croons softly in his native tongue, the gentleness of it oddly at war with his cold brutality and neutral expression, "_Women are taught respect…would you like me to show you?"_

He leers at her in a way that makes her highly uncomfortable and she wretches her arm from his grip. He sneers at her and she can't help but sneer back, sliding into the pilot's seat of the shuttlecraft.

"We are here," he says after a long uncomfortable pause in standard.

Nyota drops the shuttle out of warp and what she sees make's her mouth drop open in surprise.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!"

* * *

**Enterprise (Spock's POV)**

**Medical Bay**

"Hold him down!"

"Doctor, I can't figure out where his heart is!"

"Under that right kidney…yes…it's over there…the liver…that's right."

"Blood pressure dropping!"

"Damnit, Spock…just hold still…I have to set your ribs!"

He is uncertain what is happening. His body burns in agony and his head throbs. He cannot breath properly, his lungs are constricted and as he tries to catch his breath he feels as if he is inhaling water rather then air. There are people all around him, people running back and forth and yelling out orders. McCoy hovers above him and he can tell McCoy is talking but his voice is cutting in and out like a radio not tuned in properly. His vision is blurring and so he blinks to try and correct it.

_Nyota_.

Where was she?

"Get the regenerator…we need to fix his ribs fast…he'll choke on his own blood otherwise…hurry up!"

He realizes that he's been squirming under their grip and as that is a very un-Vulcan like behavior so he stops abruptly. McCoy looks somewhat relieved as he lifts the regenerator over him and proceeds to start mending his ribs.

After several long agonizing moments (which he thinks might have been much longer than that) of being prodded with needles and held down forcibly by who he believed must be other Vulcans, the pain stops and he can suddenly breath normally again. They are blinking down at him now in the bright light overhead and he winces and tries to shield his eyes from the light.

"He is lucky to be alive," comments someone who he recognizes as a Vulcan doctor though he can't recall his name at the moment.

"I'd have never have managed it without your help," McCoy sighs quietly as he glances back at the heavily restrained Vulcan on the bed behind them. "I'm not sure why he reacted so violently though."

"He cares for the young human female, it was in his nature to panic when he realized that she was in great distress," the Vulcan doctor says with a neutral expression.

"_She is not his though_," murmurs another Vulcan nearby quietly in the standard Vuhlkansu.

"_It matters not_," the Vulcan doctor replied evenly, "_he seeks to claim her_."

"Did I miss something?" McCoy asks with a puzzled expression on his face. The Vulcan doctor stares at him for a moment before glancing at Spock, "Do not let him get up…make him rest until at least tomorrow evening."

Spock hears them talking but their voices are drowned out by the sound of his own rushing blood, hammering away in his ears as he closes his eyes and tries to calm himself. _Nyota is not here_, he thinks to himself quietly. He struggles to suppress the suffocating panic he feels towards the unknown, worried that they may never be able to find her now.

Who knows where Nero has taken her?

Is she even still _alive_?

* * *

**Klingon Space**

**Vulcan Shuttlecraft**

"That…that's _impossible_," Nyota stammers as she stares wide eyed at what looked like an entire _armada_ of replicated ships in the distance.

_The Narada_.

"How the hell…how did they…they couldn't have!" Nyota sputters in shock.

"Take us behind that small moon over there," Nero hisses and points to her left somewhere in the distance. He starts flipping switches and she has a sneaking suspicion he's been watching her carefully during flight. He must have figured out which buttons controlled what, because the shuttlecraft gave a great shuddering sigh as they drifted towards the small moon, the ship going dark to blend in with its surroundings.

"Keep quiet," he murmurs, "I don't want us caught."

As soon as they are out of sight Nyota rounds on him, nervousness and fear racing up and down her spine as she watches Nero's thoughtful expression as he ponders the ships in the distance. It was dark in the shuttle and the shadows that played off his face made him seem all the more threatening. She knows without asking what he is thinking. He is contemplating on those ships, on whether or not he could _steal_ one.

"I won't help you steal one of those," Nyota tells him quietly.

He glances at her with empty dark eyes and then returns to his thoughts. Panic starts to make her heart hammer away in her chest as she takes a deep breath and tries to reason with the madman before her, "Nero, they will _kill_ us. Those are _Klingons_ out there and there is no way in hell we'd manage to take one of those ships without being caught. We don't even have a _crew_!"

He stands up and she starts to feel frantic, realizing that she was trying to reason with a totally illogical and completely unhinged Romulan, "Nero, _please_!" Nyota all but begs as she catches his arm and stares up at him, "Don't do this…you're going to go out there and get yourself killed, and for what?" she hisses with a scowl, "_Everything_ you have ever done will be in vain!"

Secretly Nyota knows she is only begging him not to do this because she feared what he might do if he got control of another _Narada_. She feared what he was capable in this state, feared that perhaps he might just pull it off. Nero had spent the last twenty-five years of his life mourning his dead wife and child, mourning the loss of his planet while simultaneously being enslaved by Klingons on the prison planet _Rura Penthe_. Nyota knew better than most what Nero had endured all those years, the mind meld have given her great insight to his mind now that the healers had sorted out his memories from hers. Nero was ambitious and ruthlessly stubborn; he would not relent or yield until he had his revenge upon those who killed his wife and child.

He was no _Khan_ though.

He wasn't going to be able to take that ship by himself. _Nero is smarter than this_, Nyota mused as she recalled some of his memories, some of the twisted and clever things he did to escape _Rura Penthe_. This epiphany was confirmed when Nero cocked an eyebrow at her and roughly shoved her away from him, "You humans are irrational creatures."

"How did they get a hold of the blue prints?" Nyota asks as she eyes the screen. They looked a great deal like the Narada save for the Klingon additions to them.

"They were stolen from me," Nero mutters darkly, "My crew and I were tortured for them."

"Oh," Nyota internally winces. She should have known that already seeing that she was given a front row seat to the story of Nero's life.

"You never gave it to them though did you?" Nyota says quietly, a statement and not a question.

Nero doesn't say anything but she gets the distinct impression from the sudden tightness in his shoulders that he very nearly did. She cannot recall any of the memories of his torture, and she really didn't want too either.

"You will take me here," he grumbles after a long pause and steps towards the navigation system, punching in the coordinates.

"Where is _here_?" Nyota asks suspiciously and he glares at her. She glares back and sets her jaw, giving him her best _don't fuck with me_ look.

He seems to hesitate for a moment but she doesn't relax, untrusting of his calm exterior. He has been known to be sporadic and unpredictable in his moments of rage, and she didn't want to get caught up in it without warning. He steps towards her and she doesn't move, not until he is almost toe-to-toe with her. He staring down at her with a hard look on his face and she is forced to step back out of necessity, unable to go any farther because he chooses at that moment to take hold of her jaw tightly. She winces and struggles against his grip but he's dragging her closer to him. He glares down into her bright brown eyes as he catches hold of her flailing hands in one of his own that were desperately trying to break his grip. He backs her up until she is pressed against the side of the shuttlecraft, holding her wrists above her head while his other hand is still clamped firmly on her jaw. Forcing her to look at him he hisses in a low voice, his lips twisted in an angry scowl that frightens her, "You don't get to ask questions," he tells her pointedly in standard, "you don't get to know anything I don't want to tell you." She winces against the grip he has on her, knowing very well she'll have bruises later, "You will obey…or you will _scream_. _Take your pick_," he spits the last part out coldly, venom in every word.

Nyota glares up at him fiercely, bright hot anger burning in her eyes mixed with fear, "_aehallh!" (Monster!)_

"We shall see who the real monster is _vnu ihhei_," Nero says as he leans closer, his gaze boring into her own. He releases her and she drops her arms, rubbing her sore wrists gingerly.

Without another word she begrudgingly pilots the ship in the direction the navigational system is telling her to go. Nero is eerily quiet and she wonders what he is thinking. She also wonders what she ever did to have such bad luck, to be kidnapped by a crazy Romulan and dragged halfway across the galaxy. On the upside, she has discovered something that Starfleet command _needs_ to know about, because if her theory was correct then the Klingons were preparing for _war_.

There was one saving mercy for Nyota, she thinks as she glances sidelong down at the tiny red light by her knee with suppressed relief.

The Vulcan's were tracking the shuttlecraft.

* * *

**Enterprise**

**On the edge of Alpha quadrant**

"You sure you've got the coordinates right?" Kirk raises an eyebrow at Sarek from his place in the captain's chair, the screen before him flickers, a result of the damage done to the _Enterprise_ earlier.

"They are precise," Sarek agrees calmly, "Are the…_guests_ on board yet?"

"Yes," Kirk says with a nod, irritation burning just under the surface. The Romulans had demanded that an away team go with the _Enterprise _to retrieve Nero.

The Vulcans demanded the same thing.

This was getting ridiculous.

Now that everyone was on board they were preparing to follow the shuttlecraft. Sulu is punching in the coordinates when he stops mid-panel and glances back at the Captain in concern, "Captain, you do realize where this is don't you?"

"No, why don't you enlighten us?" Kirk says as he glances at Sulu.

"This is in Klingon space. We're going to need permission to go here…I mean, we could start a war if were caught," Sulu says worriedly.

Kirk knows very well what happened the last time they went into Klingon space and they couldn't very well risk doing it again. Kirk lets out a long sigh and rubs his face, "So you're telling me they went through the Romulan neutral zone and _swung back around_ to go towards Kronos?"

Something tells him that Nyota was flying.

"Klingons capture them, they're dead anyways," Sulu adds as an afterthought, "Perhaps we can beam Lieutenant Uhura out from just outside of the neutral zone?"

"If they're within range," Kirk responds tiredly, "Ok. Take us to the edge of the neutral zone and let's see if we can find them."

"Aye, Captain," Sulu nods.

"I shall await you're report, Captain Kirk," Sarek says as he gives the traditional Vulcan salute. The screen flickers off and Kirk waves a hand at Sulu, "Let's go."

Sulu nods and the ship gives a great shuddering lurch before they jump to warp. Behind him the bridge doors open and several Romulan and Vulcan soldiers file in.

"This should be fun," Kirk says as he exchanges glances with Sulu.

* * *

**Enterprise (Spock's POV)**

**Medical Bay**

He is blinking into the dimmed light of the room he is currently within. He sits up and finds his body is still sore from whatever they had done to him. He must have slept for hours because the medical bay shift had already changed and several doctors and nurses who were once here have already gone.

_Nyota_.

Nyota is missing, and it was his fault. He has failed to protect her, and his insides burn because of it. He wages an internal battle with himself, fighting down the instincts to chase after her, forsaking Starfleet and his friends to go and save his _ashayam_.

That would not be logical.

His best chance of successfully recovering his lost _k'diwa_ was to remain with the ship and help them find her. They would need his expertise in Vulcan technology, not to mention he had the distinct feeling that Kirk was not thinking rationally.

This man had murdered Kirk's father.

Not to mention he also murdered _his_ mother _and_ his entire planet.

Spock winces at the memory of his mother and feels a cold hatred for the one called Nero. Romulans were forever wildly passionate and extremely unpredictable. They lived their lives guided by their emotions, living for their passions.

_V'tosh ka'tur_.

Deep down a Romulan was still a Vulcan whether they wanted to admit it or not. They were just simply Vulcan's who did not live by the teachings of Surak. There was a reason Vulcan's lived by such strict rules. They lived this way because to live without logic would leave them wildly out of control of their emotions. Spock often wondered how Romulans could do it. Sometimes the intensity of his emotions would press against the limits of his control, sometimes his deep affection for Nyota would border on obsession.

His anger would burn like the Terran sun.

He knew it was because he was half-human; his control was tested more often because of this. He sighs and gingerly climbs out of bed despite the protests of nearby nurses and clambers for his clothes with a muffled grunt of pain.

"Get back in that bed, Mr. Spock, that's an order," McCoy says as he appears in the doorway with a firm look on his face. Spock spares him a glance but continues dressing. McCoy does not outrank him and if it were any other situation Spock would not have to listen to him. However because he is the Doctor he is given priority, he is allowed to issue his commanding officer orders.

Spock still doesn't care.

"I am needed on the bridge, it does my people no good with me staying in bed," Spock tells him pointedly.

"You won't do _Uhura_ any good if pass out from the pain either, Spock," McCoy glares at him.

"Vulcans are capable of controlling their pain tolerance, Doctor," Spock continues as he pulls on his pants, "I assure you I am quite capable of managing my injuries."

McCoy continues his protests all the way up to the bridge where he has followed Spock. He spends the next ten minutes arguing with Kirk about Spock's condition. Kirk glances at Spock and then sighs as he steps towards his first officer.

"How are you feeling?" Kirk says with a quirked eyebrow.

"I do not understand the question, Captain," Spock says with a very Vulcan expression, "Do you mean to ask what the condition is of my mental state or my physical one? I assure you both are in optimal health."

"Like _hell_ he is, Jim," McCoy growls irritably, "We nearly lost him two days ago damnit!"

Spock restrains the urge to raise his eyebrows in shock at the revelation of how long Spock really had been asleep. Vulcan's do not sleep nearly so long, so he concludes that he in fact had been injured in such a fashion that would be life threatening.

"Alright look," Kirk says as he glances between the two men, "Spock, I don't want you doing anything strenuous. I don't want you changing out so much as a _plug_; do you understand me? You can stay on the bridge as long as you stay right where you are. Furthermore I want you to check in with McCoy every couple of hours ago so he can ensure your still in…_optimal_…health."

Spock wants to protest that he has no need to visit the obviously agitated doctor and yet he knows he cannot argue with Kirk. Kirk will force him to go back to the medical bay if he doesn't agree to the terms that Kirk has laid out for him. Spock nods minimally and agrees despite what he wants, "Understood, Captain."

"Every four hours…do you understand me?" McCoy says with a finger pointed at him.

"Yes, Doctor. I will see you in…" Spock pauses as he checks the clock, "3.5 hours."

"Good," McCoy says as he slowly settles down and turns to leave the bridge.

Humans could be so exhausting sometimes.

"Dropping out of warp in 3…2…1…" Sulu calls out as he slowly lets off of the warp drive throttle.

The ship comes to a halt just outside of the neutral zone and Sulu begins to scan the area. The Vulcan's on the bridge proceed to help them search, muttering to each other feverishly in Vulcan.

"Anything?" Kirk asks with little hope. '

They may never find them.

"There is something," one of their Vulcan guests speaks up after a moment, "this must have been done intentionally."

"What was?" Kirk asks with a frown.

"The lieutenant must have triggered it," another of the Vulcan's muses with something like approval.

"Triggered _what_?" Kirk sighs.

"You're Lieutenant Uhura has activated the tracking device on the ship which allowed us to track the shuttlecraft earlier. However this far out of range we shouldn't still be able to track the shuttle. She must have activated a sub-routine without Nero's knowledge which allows us to follow the shuttle," that same Vulcan responds to Kirk.

Spock feels _pride_.

Sudden and consuming he feels _proud_ of his ashayam. She has outwitted the Romulan who kidnapped her. She is still _fighting_. Part of him fears what Nero might do to her if he were to discover her sabotage, and silently hopes he never finds out.

"How?" Kirk quirks an eyebrow.

"The communications panel of course," his Vulcan guest responds, "We can monitor their frequency."

* * *

**Vulcan Shuttlecraft (Nyota's POV)**

She hopes he never finds out.

She silently thanks Spock for the many hours they spent together in the arrays lab, building and re-building communications panels, teaching her things that didn't necessarily fall under her category of expertise but because she wanted to be the best she was willing to learn it all.

A tiny pang of sorrow wells up in her chest at the thought of Spock. She reminisces on those days in the academy before they dated, when she would admire him in his well-fitted black instructor's suit. She remembers peering up at him from under her lashes while he rambled on about the wiring requirements that must be adhered to in section 2.34575 of the engineering manual for sensor array equipment. She thought his logical assessments were fascinating and when he started to ramble she thought it was adorable. She liked his sharp mind and his insatiable curiosity. She loved to watch him work, his dark eyes intent on the machinery in front of him and his nimble fingers twisting the wires and placing them back into the frame of the hardware before him. When her classes with him had finished she could not deny that she liked him beyond a teacher-student capacity.

So she asked him out.

She'd asked him out to dinner and she was immensely pleased at his response. "Fascinating", as she recalled his response with a quirked eyebrow and a look of approval in his eyes. They went to dinner and she spent most of the night admiring him in his Vulcan robes and talking about the differences between Vulcan dialects.

He was pleased with her responses.

He seemed decidedly interested in what she thought of the language and how she felt about each dialect. It pleased her that it pleased him and she was fighting the urge to beam with pride. He was just as quick witted, as she and they seemed to make an excellent pair the two of them.

She is jarred from her thoughts when she hears Nero approaching. Quickly she scrambles to put the panel back in place, carefully twisting the screws back into the metal frame. When the shuttle door opens she pretends to be combing her hair out with her fingers and stretching out her tired muscles wearily. She freezes when she sees him, careful to pretend to be the ever frightened and helpless captive.

Her deception is a small victory.

Nero doesn't know what she's done and she's pleased to think he probably wouldn't be able to figure it out even if he notices the panel has been moved. He has rope in his hands and she watches him cautiously. He steps towards her and she understands to late what he intends to do. Moments later she finds herself trailing along before him like some kind of _pet_. Her hands are bound at the wrists tightly behind her back, a long thick trail of rope snaking out from the point where her wrists are bound. He's urging her down some dark and dirty street on a strange planet she's never been to nor does she has a name for. She walks before him like a slave, and she tries to ignore the way the people they pass by stare in a mixture of amusement and lust. Some of these people are Romulan she realizes and she wonders where they are now. Not many Romulans wander outside of the neutral zone, save for the ones who do not want to live under the rule of the Romulan Empire.

When she stumbles he jerks the rope sharply upward to pull her to her feet. She winces as the ropes bite into her skin. When she does not walk fast enough he is pushing her forward, hissing at her in Romulan threats of punishment if she does not comply with his demands.

She wants to slap him.

It is a cold fury that seeps through her aching body as he forces her down a narrow alleyway and up an old metal staircase. She feels eyes upon her and glances down. There are people in the alleyway, and she thinks that they are muttering something with excited voices. She picks up the word _pet_ and _slave_ and to her fevered embarrassment _herfverei_.

_Concubine_.

She quietly wonders if this was some secret part of Romulan society that is never spoken of, just as _Ponn Farr_ is never spoken of on Vulcan.

He guides her into a narrow corridor at the top of the stairs until they reach the door near the end of the hall. She can hear singing coming from behind that door and she frowns at the strange noise. It was roughly at odds with the depravity of the world around them, the beautiful lulling sound of a Romulan lullaby echoing against the walls. Nero seems to pause at the noise and his expression is unreadable. He unlocks the door and shoves her roughly inside. The singing abruptly stops.

"Oh," says a soft voice and Nyota looks up to see a blond woman carrying a baby walking towards them, "I didn't expect you back so soon."

Nyota is struck with a sense of shock as she stares at the woman who is clearly _human_. She realizes her mouth is hanging open and snaps it shut, struggling to catch her balance as Nero bodily pushes her towards the bed across the room.

There in a _hotel_.

Some kind of alien lodging perhaps but on earth Nyota was fairly certain they'd called this a hotel. Nero steps forward and leans in close to the baby, sliding a rough hand over the child's head. He murmurs in Romulan quietly and the woman frowns up at him before glancing at Nyota. She shakes her head feverishly and argues with him, pointing at Nyota with a deep frown on her face. She picks up a few words such as _Starfleet_ and _dangerous_.

"You didn't have to drag her here like some common _herfverei_," the blond woman says in standard with mild agitation, her long golden hair swinging down her back as she walks, "look at her…she's filthy."

"She's _useful_," Nero mutters back in the same language as he strips off his shirt "and it was less suspicious to bring her here as such," he says and disappears into the bathroom behind the blond woman.

"Who…are you?" Nyota asks with a raised eyebrow.

"I am called Katnae," the blond woman responds, "but when I lived on earth I was known as Kate."

"You're…human?" Nyota asks in confusion and as she glances at the baby she notices the point of the child's ears and looks questioningly at Katnae.

"This is my son Nuhir," Katnae says with a motion of her head towards the baby in her arms.

"You…Nero…he's…." Nyota stammers because she's shocked at the revelation.

Katnae's soft voice fills the room with her laughter and she shakes her head as she stares at Nyota in mirth, "_No_…oh no…Nero is not his father."

"Oh," Nyota nods and clears her throat after the awkward moment between them then after a long pause she looks over at Katnae who is currently feeding the baby, "do you mind if…maybe…" Nyota says as she wiggles her wrists that are still bound together behind her.

"I can't do that I'm afraid," Katnae shrugs lightly, "You are Starfleet personnel…Nero should have never brought you here," she sighs heavily, "he does a lot of _stupid_things I'm afraid."

"_Why_ did he bring me here?" Nyota grumbles in irritation.

"You are "useful",as he puts it," Katnae smirks at her as the baby coos and pulls at her hair. Katnae is momentarily distracted by this, staring down at the child in awe and adoration as she paces the room, lifting the child to her shoulder so that she can burp him, "I'm not sure why he thought it would be so tactful as to lead you through the village like a concubine…but Nero hasn't exactly been thinking _rationally_ as of late."

"Concubine…" Nyota pipes up after another long pause, "What do you mean concubine?"

Katnae smirks at her with a twinkle in her eyes, "Romulan concubines were popular once…especially obstinate ones were humiliated publically by being led around like pets through the city. Only the well behaved and obedient ones were allowed to walk freely behind their master."

"Something tells me a _minor_ wouldn't have the influence to own a concubine," Nyota says drily.

"Doesn't stop him from wanting to role play though does it?" Katnae chuckles, "He's still a _man_ and you are particularly appealing."

Nyota doesn't say anything but her cheeks flush hot from embarrassment. She had a feeling that's what people were gossiping about on the way there but she wasn't certain.

"What about his wife?" Nyota mutters after a moment, "Someone so dedicated to his wife surely wouldn't even consider such a thing?"

"His wife has been dead for over twenty-five years," Katnae replies quietly and Nyota can tell that this was a sore subject even for her, "Mandana would not want him to mourn her like this but Nero is a passionate man. He is also very stubborn," Katnae says as she finishes burping the baby and cradles Nuhir in her arms once more, smiling down at the baby lovingly, "Nero is a man however," Katnae adds as she glances up at Nyota, "He feels desire regardless…what, did you think him _abstinent_?"

Nyota flushes and closes her eyes to the heat burning in her cheeks and looks away, "I'm just surprised is all."

"Believe me," Katnae grouses quietly as they both hear the water of the shower turn off, "he surprises me sometimes too."

"So…you know him then?" Nyota concludes as she watches Katnae curiously.

Katnae raises an eyebrow at Nyota thoughtfully, "Know him? I'm the one that _saved_ him."


	6. Stories of the Past in the Future

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or make any money from it, all of it belongs to those who own Star Trek.

* * *

**125 Years into the Future….**

**Edge of the Romulan Neutral Zone**

A merchant ship, loaded with cargo edged along the Romulan neutral zone quietly. Its passengers remained equally as silent for fear they attract attention to themselves. The ship in question was old and worn but still in good working order. Her captain, Henry William Yuri was an older gentleman who both worked and lived onboard his cargo ship with his family. His wife Helen Yuri was his first officer and his daughter Katernina Yuri was his pilot. Kate loved her job; she found deep contentment sailing across the stars with her family. It had been a dream she had sense she was a child to see the universe, and when her father opted to bring his family with him rather than leave them behind on earth she was more than thrilled to join him.

Her mother was both thrilled and disheartened. She had wished to see Kate join Starfleet, which Kate had meant to do until her father offered her the job as pilot on his cargo ship. Kate did not want the military discipline of Starfleet, she wanted the freedom to go wherever she pleased and do whatever she wanted. They would stop off in different parts of the galaxy and Kate would get to explore the vast plethora of alien civilizations and taste the exotic foods of different worlds. Today was like any other day, a casual trip past the Romulan neutral zone. Her father was especially curious about them, telling her stories of great battles between the Romulans and the Vulcan's since she was a small child. Kate knew the Romulan nursery rhythms (or at least the ones that her father had taught her) and though it was shaky, her Romulan was almost understandable.

Her mother was disdainful of the whole thing.

Her mother, more than once, would quite earnestly tell her daughter how she did not approve of such a filthy language being used. The Romulans were a brutal savage people and _not_ to be dealt with. They were a cruel people, and ruthlessly tortured young and innocent women like Kate all the time. Kate wasn't sure what to make of her mother's stories; she was far more interested in what her father had to say on the matter.

"Papa," Kate said early one morning as he set a cup of hot coffee next to her. She gratefully lifted it to her lips and took a sip, her eyes still intently on the screen in front of her.

"Yes, my child?" Captain Yuri asks curiously.

"Have you ever seen a Romulan?" Kate asks as she presses a few buttons on the control screen in front of her and switches the view screen over to manual.

"No," Henry tells his daughter as he scratches his chin and sits down in the captain's chair behind her. "Romulans are notoriously quiet species…they prefer to keep to themselves then deal with us humans."

"Then why all the stories?" Kate asks with a raised eyebrow, "Why do people gossip about them so much?"

"Because they have nothing better to do," Kate's mother cuts in as she enters the bridge and brings her husband a cup of coffee. She smiles at him lovingly and kisses him on the forehead. She frowns as she passes by Kate and swats lightly at the long length of blond hair held back in a ponytail behind her, "look at your hair, child. It's a mess! And _what_ are these?"

Kate eyes the glittering florescent Orion beads in her hair and then lets her gaze flicker up to meet her mothers, "I found them on Orion…I thought they were beautiful."

"You look like some savage Klingon," her mother reprimands her sharply, "take the braids _out_ of your hair and behave like a _lady_."

"_Helen_," Henry sighs wearily.

"No, Henry, it's time. She's growing up. She's not a child anymore. She must go back and join Starfleet," her mother says pointedly. Henry stares at his wife who is staring at him adamantly and flickering her gaze between himself and his daughter. Kate stiffens in her chair at the mention of leaving and turns to glance at her father.

"Papa, _no_," Kate says with a small frown.

"You are growing up, my child," Henry says as he stands with a heavy sigh, "Soon, you will be twenty and I can't let you waste your life on this old bucket of bolts. You should be out there, on a federation ship, with people your own age."

"I _like_ flying this old bucket of bolts, Papa," Kate argues feverishly.

"But will it always be _enough_, sweetheart?" her mother presses on, "or will you find that one day you're not as happy here as you used to be?"

"It will be," Kate argues with a frown, "I will be Captain one day."

Henry laughs at his daughter's words and Helen rolls her eyes and glares at him before returning her gaze to her daughter, "You are enlisting in Starfleet and _that is__final_."

"Mama!" Kate says in outrage and glances back at her father, "You _can't_ be serious!"

"I'm sorry, my child," Henry says somberly, "It is for the best."

Kate is angered by this decision, spiteful that her mother refuses to allow her to live her own life and do as she pleases; later that evening she refuses to come down for dinner and chooses to remain on the observation deck where it is quiet and empty. She sits crossed legged on the floor and stars out at the shiny iridescent stars that fly past the ship like white paint streaking across a black canvas. She feels hopelessness, spiraling out of control. She cannot make her own decisions for her own life because her parents won't let her. She cannot be who she is because her mother tries to hold her down and make her into something she's not.

Suddenly the ship lurches sideways sharply and Kate lets out a strangled cry of alarm, rolling to one side as she sees fire erupt across the observation window.

They were under attack.

Panic rips through her as she scrambles to her feet and runs towards the bridge. Another sharp lurch and she slams up against the corridor wall and slides to the floor. The lights flicker out and she hears the passengers start to scream and panic. She is fumbling around on the floor for a control panel, knowing that there were emergency flashlights stowed away in one of them. She hears footsteps and her heart races, frantically trying to pull the compartment door open. Suddenly she is being yanked backwards by her hair and she lets out a strangled scream, a hand wrapping securely around her throat and dragging her to her feet.

"Get off me!" she yells loudly and brings her foot down sharply on her assailant. Her elbow swings back quickly and she feels her assailant's momentary confusion. She takes the chance and wrestles free of his grip, making a run for it.

She is tackled to the floor in seconds.

She screams and thrashes but to no avail, her assailant grips her hair and yanks on it. She is dragged to her feet and forced down the corridor, pushed and shoved until she reaches the bridge. The dim light of a flashlight greets her face and she winces in the sudden light, her eyes not yet adjusted to the brilliance of it. "Papa…" she chokes out and hears her father's strangled cry of alarm.

"Just stay calm, Kate, just do as they ask."

"Papa what's happening?" Kate gasps out as her assailant encircles her throat with his hand and squeezes until she can barely take a breath.

"You will be silent," he orders in a heavy accent she doesn't recognize.

"Please," Henry says from his place by the Captain's chair. He is on his knees with his wife beside him, matching expressions of fear on their faces. "We never meant to drift into the neutral zone…our scanners were off. See for yourselves, we meant no disrespect!"

"Papa, who are these people?" Kate chokes out quietly as her fingers curl around the hand that is on her throat. She is forced to her knees as well and the tall figure that stands before her parents turns to face her. In the dim light she can barely make out the sharp upswept eyebrows and the prominent brow bones.

_Romulans_.

"Please…" she chokes out desperately, "the ship is old…the scanners are ancient, it was just a mistake!" Kate has already figured out what was going on, something that she's warned her father about before. All his stories about how ruthless Romulans were and how territorial they were about their home made Kate nervous enough to constantly update the software, fearful that the scanners might make a mistake. Her father didn't have the money for a new one (let alone a new ship) so they had to work with what they got.

The figure stares down at her and she realizes he towers over her in height. She never thought she was short until she stood face to face with this Romulan, blinking up at him stupidly. He nods at the Romulan behind her and the hand on her throat loosens but the grip in her hair doesn't.

"Perhaps your father should not have made such a grave error in judgment. Arrest them, raid the ship. And then destroy it." The Romulan tells his crew with a dismissive wave of his hand, his eyes turning back towards Kate once more.

"No, please…wait!" She hears her father beg loudly, "please…spare my wife and child. Take my ship, my cargo…anything! But please spare them. I'll go willingly! I'll do whatever you want…"

"A pointless offer," the Romulan responds evenly, "seeing as I can take anything I want already."

"Please…" Kate says desperately, "My father is old…he won't survive in the Romulan prison, please…take me instead…just let my parents go, they won't be of any use to you. Be reasonable, let them go…just take whatever you want from the ship and then let them take the ship back to earth," Kate pleads desperately to the intimidating looking man in front of her.

"Romulans do not show mercy where it is not due," The Romulan in question responds evenly and turns away. Kate howls with rage and spits at him, blinking wide-eyed at what she'd just done. The Romulan freezes and casually wipes the dribble from his shoulder, bodily turning to look at her. He inclines his head to the right and steps forward, catching her jaw between his thumb and forefinger. She struggles in the grip of the Romulan behind her and tries to pry her jaw from the grip of the one in front of her, "I will keep this one," the Romulan comments idly and his crew chortles quietly all around him, "lock her in one of the guest quarters."

"NO!" Henry yells as her mother cries out in alarm.

Kate screams just as a sharp pain explodes across the side of her face and everything goes black.

* * *

**Unknown Location (Nyota's POV)**

**Present Day**

Nyota is sitting with her arms tied around the toilet in the bathroom half between sleep and awake. She can see through the crack in the door where the woman called Katnae jerks awake, blinking into the darkness. Nero is gone and Nyota does not know how long he will be gone or where he even went. Kate gets to her feet and checks on the baby who is sound asleep in a tiny crib across the room. She seems to adore the child absolutely, but Nyota thinks there is a hint of sorrow in her expression.

"How old is he?" Nyota croaks into the darkness and Kate turns to regard her quietly, "Almost a year," she responds evenly. Kate opens the bathroom door and glances down at the other woman. Her silk Vulcan robes are torn and ripped. There are deep rope burns on Nyota's wrists where Nero has tied her up and Kate clucks her tongue in disapproval.

"He can be so vicious," she mutters tiredly, "I am truly sorry."

"How can you trust him around your son? After everything he's done…or has he told you?" Nyota questions her pointedly.

"That he murdered the entire Romulan senate? Or perhaps that he destroyed Vulcan. Or are you referring to his ruthless destruction of several federation ships?" Kate says with raised eyebrows as Nyota falls silent, defeated.

"I know what Nero has done," Kate tells her firmly, "I know about all of it and, believe me, _nobody_ has ripped into him about it more than _I_ have," Kate pauses and allows the information to soak in before continuing, "however, I can't control his actions. He will do as he pleases regardless of my opinion. I saved his life. I saved him even if I was absolutely infuriated and _humiliated_ by what he did. He _embarrassed_ me…he embarrasses the Romulan Empire."

"Then why haven't you turned him in?" Nyota hisses fervently, "_Why_ are you hiding here with him?"

Kate sighs and rubs her face tiredly, "because he's all I have…and I'm all he has."

"He is a _deranged_–" Nyota begins but Kate cuts her off.

"Nero is a particularly troubled Romulan, I agree," Kate murmurs, echoing words of a long ago friend, "Nero believes that the ambassador is responsible for the destruction of our home…but I do not believe that to be true. Spock would never have done that intentionally. Spock was nothing but kind to us…I do not believe him capable of such a terrible thing."

"How do you know Nero anyways?" Nyota asks curiously.

"He was my best friend's husband," she shrugs lightly; "I'd never met him of course, not until I saved him that is." Upon Nyota's confused expression Kate deems to elaborate further, "I lived on Romulus…I was human and not particularly popular there. I was all alone…and Mandana was a kind woman…a diplomat. She befriended me, and we spent a great deal of time together after that. Nero was constantly off planet and when we'd met. He was out sailing around in a mining ship. We found that we had a great deal in common granted that we came from two completely different worlds. When the planet was threatened and the evacuations started…I knew it was too late…" Kate says mournfully, "I knew we had little chance of survival but I took my husband's star cruiser and together we escaped before the planet was destroyed."

"Wait," Nyota chokes out because she suddenly feels like Nero deserves to be backhanded once more (_with feeling_), "You're telling me that Mandana _survived_?"

"Yes and no." Kate frowns down at Nyota, "I'm telling you she made it off the planet alive…but she died onboard my cruiser before I could get to Nero."

"So…you planned on looking for him then?"

"It was our only chance! She was frightened and… badly injured. We needed a doctor, they had one aboard the _Narada_ so she gave me the tracking frequency and told me to track it," Kate shrugs idly, "Mandana always knew little things like that. She was always planning for emergencies like this…If she needed to find the _Narada_ she could."

"You got pulled into that wormhole didn't you?" Nyota surmises quietly.

"Believe me, it wasn't intentional…my cruiser wasn't strong enough to break away," Kate shrugs, "I tried and tried to hail the _Narada_. By then it was too late and Mandana and I both knew it. The one time I managed to get through all I saw were a bunch of panicking Romulans in the background with nobody to answer the hail."

Kate closes her eyes to the memory of holding her best friend in her arms as she died and winces at the sudden consuming _sorrow_ she feels for the loss of her friend. "I came through shortly after the destruction of Vulcan…when I found out what Nero had done…I was terrified. I had never met this man before in my life and he sounded _nothing_ like the man that Mandana had described to me again and again."

"Yeah…he's pretty much lost it," Nyota says drily.

"Mandana showed me a couple of holo's of him…and when I first found Nero I wasn't sure if it was even _him_," Kate says thoughtfully, "not to mention he was just so…cold…and calculating…cruel even…he was nothing like the Nero that Mandana knew and loved."

"War changes people," Nyota comments briefly, "and most of the time it isn't for the better."

They hear the door to the hotel room click shut quietly and Kate glances back and sighs, "He's back."

She disappears through the bathroom door and shuts it behind her. She hears their voices speaking quietly in Romulan, can tell that Nero is angry just by the gruffness of his voice when he speaks to Kate.

"You'll wake the baby Nero!" Kate hisses as he barges into the bathroom and glares down at Nyota.

"Get up," he says and unties her from the toilet, dragging her roughly to her feet.

"Nero, _please_," Kate says quietly and he shoots her a cold look that silences her.

"_E'dhere…mavfvra pul'avra!" _He hisses savagely in high Rihan, "_Y'ueverfer ur hur va'cavre_!"

Kate glares at him and sets her jaw but says nothing, watches as he drags Nyota out of the room and then stomps behind them irritably, "Nero…" she says gently and Nero abruptly tosses Nyota to the ground and storms towards Kate forcefully, grabbing her chin roughly and forcing her to look up at him. They exchanged harsh and fevered words, Nyota picking out only a few at a time. Words like _barbarian_ and _cruel_, Nero's voice is deep and guttural in his rage, most of his words come out as a growl and Kate is sharp and tactful in her rebuttals. She is not nearly as gruff as Nero; her words were both intending to reprimand and sooth his temper.

"Just let me clean her up at least…please?" Kate says as she touches his arm and stares up at him from under her lashes.

That was just _cheating_.

Nyota recognizes that trick because it was the oldest in the book. Nero doesn't seem profoundly affected by it but obliges her anyways. He huffs through his nose like an agitated cat and glares down at Kate before letting out a deep snarl and storming out of the room.

"Sorry, he's grumpy tonight," Kate says with a shrug as she helps Nyota to her feet.

"Is he holding you here too?" Nyota asks quietly after a long pause, "You and your son?"

"No," Kate says with a shake of her head, "although I know what you're thinking…why would I stay? It's like I said, he's all I have left. I lost my planet, my friend, and I promised Mandana…I _promised_ her…" Kate trails off with a frown but does not finish her sentence.

"Mandana wouldn't want you to stay here if Nero isn't safe to be around. And, _believe me_, he isn't," Nyota croaks out.

"Nero is…complicated. On one hand he's a raging megalomaniac bent on universal domination and on the other he's just… _broken_," Kate sighs, "I hate him the majority of the time because he can be _such_ an asshole and then sometimes, he actually does the right thing."

"You weren't there. You didn't see him–" Nyota argues with a frown.

"Oh I saw him alright. That dumbass was willing to go down with the _Narada_ rather than accept help from the _Enterprise_," Kate says with a shake of her head, "Imagine his surprise when I beamed him aboard my cruiser."

"He lets his hate control him," Nyota presses on as she stares up at Kate.

"He does," Kate agrees, "Romulans and Vulcans are related, you see. Romulans are a wildly passionate species. So when they hate, they _hate_. They don't do anything half-ass."

"I noticed," Nyota grouses irritably.

"Ok. Let's get you out of those…whatever those are and get you something clean," Kate says cheerfully as she turns to head for the closet.

* * *

**Enterprise (Spock's POV)**

They are close.

He can feel it and he is fighting the urge to flee the ship to find her again. He visits McCoy periodically and endures his poking and prodding with a straight face. He is exhausted and knows his body is not completely up to regulation standard of health.

He doesn't care.

He has failed Nyota twice now, once back on New Vulcan and the second time when Nero managed to kidnap her. When McCoy is satisfied he returns to the bridge to resume his duties. They have tracked the shuttle to a distant planet, one that was not heavily populated and definitely not part of the federation. This planet belonged to the Qu'yul, a race of humanoid people with beige colored skin and bright brown eyes. They were notorious merchants and thieves, a planet that harbored fugitives and runaways.

"Great place to hide," Kirk says dryly.

"Nobody would come looking on this end of the galaxy though," Sulu chimes in, "it really is a good place to hide."

"Let's take an away team to the surface and go catch this bastard," Kirk says as he gets to his feet.

"Captain," Spock begins but Kirk holds his hand up.

"I can't let you leave the ship, Mr. Spock."

"Captain," Sulu cuts in before Spock can respond, "I have a lock on Lieutenant Uhura's dermachip. She's down there alright."

"Excellent. Get the away team ready and have them meet me in the shuttle bay. Mr. Spock, you have the conn." Kirk says as he leaves the bridge.

Spock sits there for a moment and absorbs all that has happened quietly. It is when Sulu clears his throat and looks at him expectantly that he gets up and takes a seat in the captain's chair, issuing orders for the crew.

He sincerely wishes to be going with the away team.

He despises his own current weakness.

Silently he watches the crew and listens to the chatter of Kirk and his team in the shuttle as they fly down to the planet's surface. He feels like a caged animal pacing within its confines, restless and unsettled.

How many times will he fail?

It's like a weight on his chest that bears down heavier with each passing day, pushing him to the limits of his control.

He was comforted by the fact that they had confirmed her presence on the planet but it wasn't enough. He needed to see her and know she was alive to truly feel relaxed.

* * *

**The Planet Qu'yul (Nyota's POV)**

In the early morning hours she wakes from her spot on the bathroom floor to hear rustling just outside the bathroom. Through the crack in the door she strains against her confines to peer out, regretting her actions instantly. She feels that she has born witness to a private moment, watching Katnae touch Nero's face in a non-too platonic way. She is sliding her fingertips across his jaw and she's frowning up at him even as he's staring down at her quietly.

"_We will find them,"_ she croons softly in high Rihan, "_We will find the ones who destroyed our home."_

Nyota is not confused, wondering what part of the conversation she has missed. To her knowledge Nero had no idea who had done it. Then again he had a map. Which she assumed was given to him by Katnae.

How did he end up on a Romulan war bird though?

"_What if we can't?" _he asks quietly after a long pause, _"What we have is nothing but whispers."_

"_When we discover the truth," _Katnae reassures him as she undoes the ties to just shirt and pushes it from his shoulders gently, "_We will return to Romulus and reveal our findings to the Praetor."_

"_You know it is unwise for us to go there," _he says as she smooth's her hands over his bare chest, tracing the scars made by the Klingons who had whipped him repeatedly,_ "I know…" _she trails off with a frown, _"All I can do is hope for the best though."_

"_A human condition," _Nero sneers down at her.

"_Hope is not strictly for humans Or'en," _Katnae whispers softly as she presses kisses along the scars, "_We all feel hope."_

"_I can't feel anything," _he mutters quietly as he tangles his hands in her long blond hair and forces her down to her knees. She is looking up at him with a wanton look on her face, her pale fingers twisting in the fabric of the waistband of his pants.

Well _that_ was quiet enough eavesdropping for one night.

Nyota closes her eyes and tries to block out any noises she sincerely does _not _want to hear. It explains a lot though, much to Nyota's dismay. She supposes losing your home planet could drive a person to do a lot of strange things. She supposes her dedication to Nero is not because she loves him but because they are alone in this time era. They only have each other now, lost in the past with no way home. It doesn't seem like a very healthy relationship. He was _completely_bat shit crazy and she seemed to be the glue that was keeping his sanity intact for the time being.

Nyota couldn't help but wonder what Nero thought when he discovered Mandana. She wondered why she didn't see any of this in his mind when they melded too. Katnae seems to have her own reserves about Nero, most of them negative. She stays only because she must, and Nyota thinks it's out of some weird reverence to Mandana.

The pieces of the puzzle were not fitting because she didn't have all the facts.

She gets the feeling that there are a lot of things that Katnae has not told her, _would not_ tell her. Nyota tries to ignore the noises from the other room, stifled but still there. She hears Katnae's muffled protests about '_waking the baby'_ once more and a heavy thump that Nyota imagines would be Katnae being pushed down onto the bed.

She doesn't want to hear this.

She really doesn't.

She tries to focus on other things, a trick she learned when Gaila would bring a guy home late at night and assume that Nyota was asleep. She thinks of Spock as she sits there in the darkness, hoping that he is alive. If he was the first thing she was going to do was kiss him, screw the rest of it. She did not hold any grudges against him for his biology; it was the fact that he hadn't told her that hurt the most. He did not trust her with his Vulcan side even if she loved every part of him completely. He was afraid he'd hurt her, which didn't appear entirely true anymore considering his actions back on his father's ship.

It was hours later when the room had gone silent and the sun was filtering through the windows that Katnae climbed out of bed and pulled on her clothes. She was dressed for something a little more physically taxing then staying in a room all day so Nyota assumed they would be leaving this place today. She watches the other woman tie her hair back and pull on a white tank top over her head. The baby gurgles happily in the corner in his crib and Katnae greets him with a warm smile and soft kiss on his forehead. She glances towards Nyota and sighs, pulling the bathroom door open and looking down at her apologetically, "Sorry, I didn't realize the bathroom door was still open."

"I've heard worse believe me," Nyota says drily.

Behind Kate Nero stirs in the bed and Kate stretches out her tired limbs before stepping forward to untie Nyota. "We're leaving."

The little town they were in is hot and humid. Nyota walks tiredly down the street, grateful for the clean clothes she has on. Nero has deemed to allow her to walk freely (thanks to Katnae) and she rubs her sore wrists gingerly in the memory of earlier times. Katnae walks beside her and Nero just ahead of them.

"Where are we going?" Nyota asks quietly.

"To my ship," Kate responds easily as she perches the baby on one hip.

"Then where?" Nyota presses as he keeps her gaze firmly on Nero, then much lower, "you don't have to go with him. We can get out of here. This is no place for a_baby_."

Kate shakes her head sadly, impressed by the intuitiveness of the woman beside her, "I can't leave."

"Yes you can! Take the baby and _run_," Nyota grouses under her breath. Nero doesn't seem to hear them but Nyota has learned never to assume anything with him.

"I _promised_ her," Kate says quietly, "I _can't_ leave."

"I can't imagine Mandana would ever want you to subject you and your baby to the whims of a lunatic," Nyota says softly, "I can't imagine if she knew who Nero was now…that she'd still want you to stay."

"You don't understand," Kate says with a shake of her head as Nero glances back, a hard look on his face as he glances between the two women, "Women gossip just as much on _both_ planets apparently."

Kate rolls her eyes and lets out a soft sigh of relief. She seems visibly nervous about Nero discovering their conversation and Nyota can't help but feel sorry for her. Kate catches the look and frowns, "It's not what you think, it really isn't," she tells her softly, "He didn't force me or anything."

"How long have you been with him?" Nyota asks as they round another corner. Nero comes to a sudden halt and the two women all but run into the back of him.

"Since I beamed him off of the _Narada_," Kate trails off as her eyes widen in disbelief.

"_No_," Nero breaths in quiet panic.

"Shit…." Kate murmurs.

Nyota peers around Nero's shoulder and spies the group of armed federation personnel walking down the street through the crowd just ahead of them.

"_Move," _Nero hisses as he turns sharply and grabs Nyota roughly by the arm, all but dragging her down the street behind him. Kate hurries along beside him, using the crowd around them to keep their location hidden. Nyota wants to cry out to her fellow crew members, see's Jim Kirk and knows that this is one of the few times in her life she is actually _happy_ to see him.

Screaming would not be wise.

Nero's posture has stiffened and she knows how he acts when he is cornered. He lashes out at everyone around him when he's like this, even Kate seems to know instinctively to be quiet and follow him without question.

"_How_?" Nero demands as they turn into an alleyway and wait for the crew to pass by.

"I don't know what you're–" Nyota begins but Nero cuts her off, snarling in her face as he roughly slams her up against the brick wall behind her.

"Lies!" he snarls and grips her jaw tight enough to bruise, "what have you _done_?" he hisses angrily.

"Nero," Kate says quietly as she watches the exchange between them, "Nero, killing her won't fix this. And besides, she's _useful_. Remember?"

"I'm not going to kill her," Nero hisses, his face looming dangerously close to hers, "I warned you. You will obey or you will _scream_!"

"Nero, she's from Earth. She doesn't understand the Romulan culture. She doesn't know our traditions," Kate argues with him gently as she places a hand on the arm that holds Nyota's jaw within his grip, "please, _lhiu_," she whispers gently.

"She is not _Rihannsa_, my _varuul_," Kate argues quietly when he doesn't respond, "She disobeys because she doesn't understand."

"I will _make_ her understand," he snarls as he brushes Kate's hand off his arm and releases Nyota.

"Understand _what_?" Nyota says in exasperation, "this whole damn _trip_ has been nothing but a giant puzzle. _You_ won't tell me what's going on. S_he_ won't tell me what's going on. What the _hell_ are you looking for, Nero?"

"On Romulus…" Kate tries to explain gently, "The women has as much an equal right as the men do. But we have different customs. In your position, that of a prisoner, you must obey or be punished. It is our way," Kate says lamely and sighs, "It's hard to explain."

"You aren't a prisoner," Nyota snaps back and glares at Kate, ignoring the chuff Nero makes in response behind Kate.

"No, I submit willingly. But that's different…" Kate shakes her head, "You really don't understand."

"No. I don't understand. Not one damn thing!" Nyota huffs in irritation, "Nero, if you know something, you need to _speak up_!"

"Over there!" Nyota hears a shout behind her and she turns to glance towards the sound, noticing several armed Starfleet crewmembers running towards them. She yelps in alarm as Nero bolts past her, dragging her behind him with Kate hot on their heels.

This was insane.

She was being dragged around by some lunatic Romulan and his would be lover. If Kate was even that, perhaps they were just using each other. That made more sense than the madness she was seeing between them already. She sensed that she did not have all of the facts and found that because of this it made it difficult to judge either one of them.

Well at least not on Kate anyways, Nero was a given.

Kate seemed perfectly capable of defending herself though, easily maneuvering through the crowded streets beside Nero. Nyota knew this was her one chance to escape and she was going to take it though. She refused to be someone's _prisoner_, desperate to escape.

Abruptly she snagged her arm from his grasp, using his forward momentum to pull her wrist free as she stopped and yanked backwards. It wasn't the most ideal of results though, as Nyota howls in pain and grips her arm. She has managed to dislocate it with the sudden force used to pull it free and Nero pauses only for a moment to glance back at her before he abandons his desire to keep her. Kate shakes her head and turns to run and Nyota takes one more risk.

She grabs her.

"Get off me!" Kate snarls at her and tries to shove Nyota away.

Nyota has only one free arm, at the moment, which hangs (painfully) and limply at her side. "_No_," Nyota snaps, "I won't let you go with him. I don't know what kind of twisted relationship you have with him, but that is no place for a _baby_!"

"You don't understand!" Kate says desperately and looks back towards Nero who has stopped again, his eyes meeting hers. He charges forward, disruptor in hand and Nyota is temporarily taken back by the fierce expression on his face.

He is a determined man.

He almost looks desperate.

Many things happened all at once. Kate was screaming and twisting in Nyota's grip (which wasn't very tight considering) and Nyota was calling out for help. Nero was shoving people aside as he pushed through the crowd towards Kate.

Then suddenly they weren't on the planet anymore.

* * *

**Enterprise**

**Planet of Qu'yul**

"What…" Nyota blinks into the blinding white light as it shimmers and dissipates around her.

"Good work, Scotty," she hears Kirk's voice over a communicator speaker.

She was on the Enterprise.

Kate reeled backwards and wrenched herself free from Nyota's grip who, quite frankly, let go out of necessity. Her arm was beginning to swell and she collapsed on the floor of the transporter pad. McCoy was right beside her in moments, examining her arm with a tricorder. "I need to get her to sickbay now…who's that?" He says as he motions to Kate.

"She's cool…she's with me," Nyota musters tiredly.

"You too, sickbay now," McCoy motions to Kate who is pressed up against the far wall with Nuhir clutched tightly in her arms. Kate doesn't move and McCoy raises an eyebrow at her, "it's alright, were not going to hurt you."

"It's been awhile since she's seen another human," Nyota mumbles as she's lifted onto a transport bed.

"A _slave_?" McCoy concludes with raised eyebrows, "What was Nero doing with a slave?"

Kate doesn't respond and Nyota finds her sudden silence strange. It must be difficult for her to be around other humans after spending so much time on Romulus. McCoy glances back at Kate as they start to wheel Nyota towards the medical bay, "Come on, nobody is going to hurt you."

Kate stiffens when he reaches for her and glares at him. McCoy steps towards her cautiously, his hands out stretched in submission, "Look, see…no weapons. You're injured, look at your arm," McCoy says as he motions to the deep cut on Kate's arm where she must have cut against something while running, "and that baby…how old is it? Have you even had that baby checked out yet?"

"Kate," Nyota croaks her voice thick with sleep from the sedative that was given to her, "It's alright, come with us…please."

Kate wearily edges forward and follows the gurney to the medical bay, her eyes taking in the ship as they go. McCoy is walking along ahead of them, examining Nyota's arm and barking orders to prepare a room for her. When they enter the bay Nyota is immediately tended too while Kate is taken to another room to be examined. The nurses talk in hushed voices and watch Kate thoughtfully. She is cradling Nuhir in her arms tightly, fearful of the doctor who is trying to examine the baby.

She allows him only a small amount of freedom to work, staring at him intently in case he tries something she doesn't like. By this time Nyota has passed out, sleeping peacefully under heavy sedatives. Kate is watching her thoughtfully as she cradles Nuhir to her, glaring at anyone who'd dare to come to close.

Hours pass.

Nyota awakens to the feel of joy and sorrow in equal measure and realizes they are not her emotions. Fingers are trailing down her arm gently in a soothing pattern and she blinks into the light of the room she's in to see Spock staring at her intently.

"You're alive," Nyota murmurs quietly, joy filling her aching heart.

"So are you," he responds just as quietly, shifting the position of his fingers and sliding his index and middle finger along her own. She responds in kind, sliding two fingers along his own, smiling at the warm sensation that washes over her body.

"I thought you were dead," Nyota says as her voice cracks and tears fill her eyes, "I had no idea what had happened to you…I thought I'd never see you again."

"I assure you, Nyota," Spock says quietly, "the feeling was mutual."

He is still sliding his fingers along hers and she lets herself sink into the warmth of it. She knew from experience that too much of it would do things to her body she just wasn't capable of doing yet, but had every intention of once she was strong enough. She notices Spock's ears have tinged green and she realizes he is blushing. She winces at her own stupidity and tries to pull her fingers away from his but he twists them together, sliding his long fingers in between hers. She gasps at the sensations he pushes towards her, lust, love, and a deep sorrow for what he has done to her.

"_Spock_," Nyota breaths as their fingers slide along each other sensually, like two bodies pressed against each other in the most intimate of ways. Her body was quickly heating up, the covers over her waist suddenly seeming to be too hot. She swallows thickly and stares at him, admires the deep black pools of his eyes as he stares back at her with a burning intensity she's never seen before.

"I…" Nyota stammers because she doesn't know what to say, stricken into silence by the feel of his hand sliding along hers. It was almost better then sex, it was like he was touching every part of her body at once without touching her at all. She was panting heavily as she tried to kick the covers away from her body.

It was too hot in here suddenly.

"Ok, I admit having to watch me was kind of gross, but I didn't do that on purpose," Kate cuts in dryly from the other room, "However, forcing me to watch _Vulcan hand sex_ is just going a little bit too far on the revenge scale."

Abruptly the connection is severed and Spock is on his feet, quiet and calm under the smooth masked expression on his face. Nyota almost cries out at the loss, aching to feel him within her mind and close to her once more. He meets her gaze and she can see that burning intensity simmering just under the surface. "Rest, Lieutenant," Spock says quietly and then turns and leaves the room.

As he leaves the medical bay Kate is snickering from her place on the bed, watching him go. "Spock, you _stud_, I never knew. All these years you Vulcan's were holding out on us."

Spock quirks an eyebrow at her comment but doesn't respond as he disappears through the doors of the medical bay once more.

Nyota groans loudly and lies back against the pillows of her bed, "_Now_ you decide to start talking."

"Hey, you kidnapped me…it was only fair," Kate raises an eyebrow at her.

"I didn't kidnap you," Nyota retorts firmly, "I saved you from that lunatic. You aren't obligated to stay with him anymore Kate…I don't care what Mandana wanted…you have no obligation to him anymore."

"You really don't get it," Kate laughs bitterly as she lays back on the pillows of her own bed and glances at the hospital crib beside her where Nuhir is sleeping, "You don't know what it feels like to be ripped away from everything you know…to lose your entire planet and discover that the only thing you have left of it is a half-crazy Romulan who just happens to be your dead best friend's husband."

"You're right I don't," Nyota retorts, "so explain it to me."

Kate sighs and rubs her face tiredly, "When I was nineteen I was taken hostage by a Romulan captain…his name was Kazek," Kate tells her quietly as she stares up at the ceiling, "He was my first…_everything_. And before him I wasn't even remotely interested in men. I was too busy exploring the galaxy to take notice of anyone."

"I've heard stories of Romulans raiding ships and kidnapping the women…but those are usually Vulcan women," Nyota frowns at her.

"Yes…raping them, forcing them to bear their children and then killing the mother afterwards," Kate agrees, "some stories are so far from the truth it's almost laughable… But that one…there have been instances of less than honorable Romulans out there," Kate tells her and then sighs, "Kazek wasn't that way. Somehow he decided that I was his…or something. I can't remember how he explained it. He liked my passion and took me back to Romulus intending on marrying me."

"You were forced to _marry_ him?" Nyota says incredulously.

"There were a lot of choices I did not have at first," Kate murmurs quietly, "I grew accustomed to him though…he was actually a good husband…I came to love him. To love Romulus."

"Forcing himself on you isn't really considered a _good husband_ quality," Nyota says drily.

"He didn't force himself on me," Kate snaps with a frown, "Kazek was better than that. Sometimes I think he tricked me into it though," Kate laughs, "I hated him for the longest time and he drove me crazy. And then one day he just… _didn't_."

"Kind of like Nero?" Nyota prods gently.

"No, nothing like Nero. We use each other when we need too. He's a man, I'm a woman. It's…convenient," Kate shrugs idly.

"You're husband, Kazek…he died on the planet then?" Nyota asks after a long pause.

"No," Kate says as she closes her eyes, "I got word late one evening, when he should have been home hours before, that his ship was destroyed. Klingons had done it…" Kate murmurs and Nyota thinks that the other woman is fighting the urge to cry.

"So that's why you're so protective of Nuhir…" Nyota says after a moment, "he's all you have left of Kazek."

"Yes," Kate swallows thickly and wipes at her face, "Yes he is."

The two women fall silent and Nyota silently begins to understand why Kate does what she does. It still doesn't explain her desire to stay with Nero despite everything, but the puzzle pieces are starting to fall into place now.


	7. Touch

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or make any money from any of it; all of it belongs to those who own Star Trek.

* * *

**Enterprise**

"I'll be fine, Len," Nyota says reassuringly as she sweeps out of the medical bay. Her arm is sore and her head throbs but other than that she was fine. Leonard had been hesitant on releasing her, but she had insisted she was fine and would take a couple of days off to recover in her quarters. Kate watched her leave with quiet acceptance, still refusing to speak to anyone other than her or Spock.

Spock.

He was an entirely different subject, Nyota thinks as she heads towards her quarters. He has been distant since her return but not because he doesn't care, it was perhaps because he was afraid. Nyota rubs her hands together feverishly, recalling the last time she saw him. She could feel something profound in him, a part of him that he'd kept locked away from her for so long. It was determined and possessive, a desperate need for ownership. She wondered if this was his Vulcan half reaching out to her, and silently that pleased her. Part of her was thrilled and part of her was terrified, she had never seen Spock completely relaxed, he'd only ever allowed her to see glimpses of it once in a while when he was caught off guard.

The man in question was waiting for her when she entered her quarters. She did not expect him there, but seeing as he was a commanding officer he had security access to her room. He is sitting silently on her bed, shoulders relaxed and face expressionless with his eyes closed. She listens to the sound of him breathing in the silence of her room and smiles.

She loves to watch him meditate.

She decides to leave him undisturbed and pulls clean clothes out of her closet before going to take a shower. When she emerges from the bathroom later on he is still sitting in the same position on her bed so he keeps quiet, contemplating on visiting the mess hall when he finally speaks, "You smell like jasmine," he says as he inhales deeply and then says much quieter, "and Romulan."

"I was being dragged all over the galaxy by a Romulan, Spock," Nyota says gently as she sits on the edge of the bed to look at him, "Look," she sighs deeply and summons what courage she has left, "we need to talk."

"Yes," he agrees without opening his eyes or moving from his place on the bed, "we do."

"Spock…" Nyota begins quietly, "I just…after everything that has happened…almost losing you…I just don't care anymore. It was your _biology_, it was something you couldn't control," she says quietly, "I don't want to waste any more time fighting about it. If there is something I learned from being dragged across the galaxy with Nero, it was that time is precious. Every last minute I have I want to spend it with you."

He opens his eyes and stares at her, his obsidian gaze boring into hers, "I want you to know something, to understand," he begins calmly, "I never meant to complete the bond with T'Pring…I had intended to break the bond with her and make you my bondmate."

Nyota blinks and stares at him.

And stares…

And stares…

"Me?" she says softly, "you do realize…that it would have meant…I mean…"

"I know what it means," He says gently as he turns to face her, "I was concerned however that you may not accept me," he explains easily, "I was afraid of what would happen under the effects of Ponn Farr. I feared that I could greatly injure you. I had not prepared you for it because I did not think it was necessary. When I realized that the Ponn Farr had come upon me I was afraid you would not want me once I informed you of the bond I had with T'Pring. For this I am remising. I should have told you about the Ponn Farr even if I felt it unnecessary."

"I don't see why you didn't tell me when we got to Vulcan," Nyota began but he held up a hand to silence her.

"Due to the stressful effects of Ponn Farr I was not capable of making such a rational decision. However I knew that T'Pring did not desire me as I did not desire her and because of my irrational state I believe she chose to make a sacrifice to save my life. Regardless of her desire to be with Stonn she was choosing to save my life. I believe she understood there is a relationship between you and I without having to ask. She is a highly intelligent woman, and I believe that she understood what she had to do. Even if it wasn't ideal for any of us."

"I would rather her save you then let you die," Nyota agrees quietly, "what about the bond though? She was coherent enough to put those thoughts into actions."

"I was too far gone," he admits softly, "I was without logic or reason. T'Pau would not be safe in my presence long enough to remove the bond and then place it upon you instead. Furthermore I did not inform you of my intentions prior to the Ponn Farr."

"I'm sorry," Nyota says quietly after a long pause, "I should have just listened to you. I was so _angry_. I mean I just couldn't think straight."

"Apologies are unnecessary; it is in your nature," he responds as he raises a hand and allows his fingers to drift through her hair gently, "You are human."

Nyota feels an ache in her chest something like despair. She is human and will never be Vulcan, and often times she feels like she would not be Vulcan enough for Spock. He needs someone who is stable and controlled, a logical wife. He had not mated with T'Pring back on New Vulcan and sometimes she wonders if maybe T'Pring would have been better for him. Kirk had broken the _plak tow_ with the ritual fight of _Kal-if-fee_, being T'Pring's chosen champion to fight for her instead of Stonn.

"I was however keeping a greater part of myself from you," Spock continues, "I should never have done so."

"I love every part of you," Nyota says gently as she edges closer to him on the bed, "I love your logical mind," she murmurs as she sits up on her knees to press butterfly kisses across the skin of his forehead, "I love your ears," she adds as she kisses their tips, "I love you language," she continues as she slides her lips down from his ears to trail kisses along his jaw, "_ashal-veh," _she whispers against his skin, "_k'hat'n'dlawa," _another, "_taluhk_," and another, "_ashayam."_

His hands slide around her waist and she can feel the heat of his skin through her tank top. He is pressing his face against her chest, taking in her scent. She inhales sharply when his tongue slides along her collarbone, just the hint of sharp alien teeth sliding gently across shoulder. His grip tightens on her waist when she shifts her weight to relieve the pressure on her knees and he growls softly in warning at the motion. She freezes in place and he tugs her closer, pulling her up against him and then down onto the bed. She is pinned beneath him now, his heavier body hot against hers as he pins her to the mattress with his hips, cradled between her thighs. He is running his nose across her skin, licking and nipping across what bare skin he could find.

She is jolted from the foggy haze that had crept over her mind when she feels the sting of her tank top being torn from her body. His mouth latches onto the swell of her breast and she gasps at the sensation of his hot tongue sliding over her skin. There was something to be said about the warmth of his skin; Nyota thinks as he trails a path with his tongue between her breasts, there was something profoundly arousing about how his hot skin felt flushed against her own. As if reading her thoughts he presses up against her and she can't help but push up against him, aching, _wanting_ something she had no name for.

She wanted to rub herself all over him, slide her skin against his until his mark was all over her. He lets out a low growl and does just that, relieving the aching tension in her body and rewarding her with the feel of his warm body against hers.

It's not _enough_.

Abruptly she snags the bottom of his shirt with her fingers and yanks at it sharply, impatient to feel his bare chest against her own. Unfortunately she was not nearly as strong as he, and his tunic torn to ribbons across his torso. He seems to understand her desires however, and leans up just enough to shrug it off over his head and toss it across the room.

_Heat_.

His body is sliding against hers, skin against skin. His rough tongue is caressing her bare chest, his sharp teeth nipping across her skin. Nyota is consumed by unbearable heat, sweat beading across her forehead and yet she wants _more_. Their lovemaking has never been this intense, and she is struck with wild curiosity as to how much he's actually been holding back. All she knows now is that she _needs_, and it is a desperate and unyielding desire. She bows her back upwards and marvels at the way they slide together in unison, letting out a low hiss of satisfaction when his teeth sink into her shoulder. It hurt but it felt good at the same time, because she wants this, she wants _him_. She isn't entirely sure what spurred her next actions; she just knows that it's what she wanted to do. She lets herself go, feels her instincts and twists her fingers into the waistband of his cotton mediation pants, shoves them down over his hips roughly.

Her actions seem to provoke him, their instincts feeding off of each other as he pushes her hard enough into the mattress to leave bruises on her hips while he kicks off his pants. He growls deep in his chest and she finds it both terrifying and thrilling, the sound making heat pool between her thighs. One hand relinquishes its hold on her hip to pull at her shorts, yanking them down along with her underwear. In his current state he doesn't surprise her when his frustration becomes too much and he rips at the fabric currently wrapped around her thighs until it breaks free and he can toss it aside.

He has never been this uncontrolled with her.

She can't help but marvel at the obsidian of his eyes; the way the irises are so dilated she can barely make them out. There is a fierce burning intensity in their depths, determination burning across her skin everywhere he looks. The heat of his _lok_ is pressing against her thigh and she loves it. Nyota realizes how much she likes it when he holds her down like this, the way his need for her goes beyond any human comprehension. She squirms in his grasp when he cups the heat of her, freezing at the snarl he elicits when she moves. He presses the weight of his body down against hers and she can't stop the low moaning sound bursting from her lips as she bows upward, needing to feel him against her. He resumes his exploration of her body with teeth and tongue, one hand on her hip pinning her down while the other comes up to slide between the fingers of her right hand, slow and sensual.

She gasps at the sensations flooding her, marveling at the way a Vulcan feels compared to a human. A flicker of curiosity gleams in her eyes as she sucks his index finger into her mouth, sliding her tongue along the tip. He stiffens against her and she sucks the rest of his finger into her mouth, flicking and swirling her tongue. She yelps in surprise when his teeth nip at the apex between her thighs, her eyes widening as his hot tongue explores her further.

He _has_ been holding out on her.

She lightly nips at the digit in her mouth and he growls so deeply it sends a shiver down her spine. She blinks in surprise at his reaction, his finger sliding out of her mouth with an audible _pop_ and the feel of her body being flipped over. He shoves her face down into the mattress, his hand pressing down on the back of her neck. His other hand lifts her hips, grips her right hip tightly as the sensation of his _lok_ sliding against her sends any coherent thought fleeing from her mind.

What happens next she has barely time to take in completely. His body is buried within her own without warning, taking hers with such force that she is rendered speechless. He pins her down, keeps her from moving as he crushes his hips against her, making her gasp and clench her eyes shut at the sensation of him. He pushes to deep, enough to hurt her but she recognizes that this is what _he__needs_, this Vulcan side of him that demands he claim her. Nyota buries her face in the sheets to muffle her screams as she clenches the sheets in one hand while the other pushes up against the headboard, bracing herself for his onslaught. Every thrust nearly knocks her against the hard wood in front of her head, a mixture of pain and pleasure all at once. The hand that holds her hip tightly releases as it slides down her back and burns across her skin. She shivers in response and raises her hips to meet his, a sudden and terrible need to claim and be claimed by him.

"_Ah_,"(_yes_) he says in such deep and guttural Vulcan he surprises her, the sound of his voice twisting the musical words into something more primitive and domineering that she can't help the twist of fear and excitement in her heart, "_t'nash-veh?"_

She answers without hesitation at the words, desperate to be his, desperate to be claimed, "_Du'nash-veh!" _she keens against the sheets, "_Du'nash-veh_!"

Suddenly he shifts his weight, pressing down on her as she adjusts by pushing up onto her elbows, whimpering when his teeth slide across her shoulder, his hot breath against her skin "_t'nash veh_," he rumbles with deep satisfaction, Nyota closing her eyes with her mouth open, gasping at the sensations and the blinding color behind her eye lids as he angles deeper, his body roughly taking hers until she is screaming from the intensity of it.

She is sure she will black out from such intensity, the desperate need for _more_ driving her to raise her hips against his until the pain was in equal measure to the pleasure. Then and only then did he let her soar, and she swore she could see the millions of stars in the dark of space when he filled her, scorching heat pulsing in her body. She keened and pushed back against him, wanting him to mark her and make her _his_ as his teeth buried into her shoulder hard enough to make her bleed.

They stayed in that position until her muscles ached and her body felt stiff. He was panting heavily against her ear and shoulder, his lips pressing kisses against her ear lobe as he murmured words of adoration in the old high tongue of his people. His body released hers and she slumped forward, too exhausted to move. He blanketed himself on top of her and his weight was suppressive but not unwelcome. The heat of his body radiated off of him, making her tired and sleepy as his tongue raked lazy circles across her shoulder where he bit her. She moaned quietly and closed her eyes, marveling in the warmth of his body and the scent of his skin as it engulfed her. She was half-asleep when he shifted his weight off of her and then pulled her against him, Nyota curling up against his chest before finally letting sleep claim her.

* * *

**Enterprise (Spock's POV)**

He wakes in the darkness of his quarters to feel the cool skin of the sleeping human beside him. He stares down at her, brushes a stray lock of hair away from her face as she sleeps. He has claimed her in the most primitive way possible; the Vulcan in him _demanded_ it. He had taken her in a desperate attempt, the need to keep her imperative.

She was _his_.

Now all that was left was to declare the ancient marital rites and take her back to New Vulcan to perform the ceremony. This was another topic he would need to discuss with her, knows that he cannot let her go now. He would fight to keep her; his very _katra_ demanded that she belong to him. He is pleased by the scent of himself on her skin, the way his mark is sliding down in between her thighs, glimmering green and white in the light of the stars that shimmered through the cabin window. She is still sweating and he realizes that the room temperature was set for him so he gets to his feet to change it, lowering it just enough that she would feel comfortable but not so much that he would get cold.

He sits back down on the bed and admires her in the darkness, frowning as he takes in the bruises and bite marks on her body. He had been over-zealous in his claiming, silently reprimanding himself for such carelessness. Her shoulder was still blotched red and purple and he closes his eyes at the realization that he must have damaged it further, guilt washing over him in waves. She stirs and blinks up at him, quirking an eyebrow in question, "Spock?"

He glances down at her as he trails a finger along her shoulder, "I have injured you further."

"It's not so bad," Nyota says with a mild grimace as she rotates her shoulder to test its flexibility, "Bones regenerated most of the tissue. It just feels a bit strained is all…" she rubs her face and rolls onto her back with a groan, "I have a headache though…I had one earlier but I just…" she yawns and stretches out like a cat across the bed, rolling onto her left side to peer up at him, "Don't do that," she says gently.

He frowns down at her and quirks an eyebrow, trying to decide what she was referring too. When she cups his cheek in her hand she meets his gaze and sighs, "Don't feel guilty. I wanted it, you wanted it…please don't hide from me again."

"I have _injured_ you. This is…_distasteful_ to me."

"I'm fine, Spock,"

"I will be rougher," he murmurs quietly after a moment, fear mingling with panic as he shifts his gaze away from hers, unable to look at her. He is afraid now, a silent fear that she will not want him, "Ponn Farr will render me illogical. I will take without asking…I will demand it of you. You would be mine. I would be drawn to you."

"I would welcome you with open arms," Nyota whispers against the skin of his shoulder as she sits up to press kisses against it, "I would give you whatever you needed of me."

"I could seriously hurt you, Nyota," he says darkly, "I would never be able to live with myself if I committed such…such…abhorrent acts against you."

"We'll deal with it when the time comes, Spock," Nyota says gently, "but I'm not letting you run away from me again."

He stares at her for a long time, obsidian eyes boring into deep brown ones. She curls into his arms and he mindlessly embraces her, closing his eyes against the bruises marring her skin. He knows what he wants, the Vulcan in him demands he say it but his mind rails against the illogical results.

He wants her but he doesn't want to hurt her.

"Spock," Nyota frowns up at him, "you're doing it again."

He sighs and buries his face in her hair, swallowing his fear thickly; he cannot speak in these moments, clinging to her much smaller frame with a crushing intensity. She doesn't complain, her fingers sliding along his upper back and her lips pressed against his chest. When she pulls away he suppresses the urge to yank her back, watches as she climbs out of bed and walks towards the bathroom.

"I declare…_koon-ut so'lik_," he says as she's walking into the bathroom.

She freezes in place and turns to look back at him, her naked body illuminated in starlight. She doesn't answer right away and for a moment he fears that she will reject him, unable to deny that he would surely die without her. He never wanted their lives to be like this, he never imagined things would become so strained and now all he wants to do is to fix it, to have her by his side and bound to him so that she will never leave him.

"I accept," she responds quietly.

He feels relief flood his body and stares at her staring at him. The silence in the room is deafening but they never needed to speak in order to be comfortable alone together. She disappears into the bathroom to take a shower and he climbs out of bed to pick up the clothes scattered across the floor. When she emerges he is dressed in only his cotton meditation pants and she has on a tank top and underwear. Crawling into bed beside him she curls against him and they lay there in the darkness quietly for an indeterminable amount of time. When she is asleep he closes his eyes and allows himself to drift off to sleep too.

* * *

**Enterprise (Nyota's POV)**

She is still incredibly sore when she walks towards the medical bay in search of Kate. The night before had been trying, but she was happy that she'd finally gotten Spock to let her in. She knows he is scared and a little nagging voice in the back of her mind says that she is scared too. Though she wasn't going to let this stop her, she was going to deal with Ponn Farr when it happened.

"Where's Kate?" Nyota asks McCoy as she enters the medical bay, he looks up from a medical report to glance at her, "Guest room. Deck eight, room twenty-three-twenty-four."

Nyota nods and sweeps out of the room, taking the turbolift to deck eight. When the turbo-doors swivel open it doesn't take her long to walk the corridors and find the room number. She presses the doorbell and a moment later it swings open, Kate stands there and smiles upon seeing her.

"Oh, hi," Kate says as she motions for Nyota to come inside, "come on in."

When Nyota enters the room she notices first that Nuhir is sitting in a federation standard playpen by the cabin window, playing with what looked like a stuffed animal. Kate re-takes her seat on the couch and motions for Nyota to sit, taking up what looked like a wooden ink pen with a sharp metal tip in her hand.

"What's that?" Nyota asks curiously, watching Kate hold the metal tip over the firelight of a candle situated on the table before them, and then dip the sharp pointed tip of the pen into a small beige ceramic pot of what appeared to be thick black…goo.

"It's called _h'fevrfr_…the mourning," Kate says quietly as Nyota watches with fascination as Kate presses the burning tip of the pen into the skin of her shoulder. She pulls a face as she writes, drawing swirling patterns in the old Rihan tongue, ancient words of love and loss. Nyota notices now that Kate has faded markings on her arms already, swirling patterns across her shoulders and disappearing down her back under her shirt.

"Doesn't that hurt?" Nyota asks with a frown.

"The tattoos are a symbol of mourning," Kate explains, "they honor the ones we have lost. We honor them in the old tongue, words of loss and healing spoken by the first Romulan, S'Task."

"He was the one that lead the Vulcan's from Vulcan to the planet Romulus right?" Nyota asks quizzically as she struggles to recall her Vulcan History lessons.

"Yes," Kate nods thoughtfully as she admires her artwork, a swirling pattern of black ink mixed with Romulan writing that began at the tops of her shoulders and ended at her wrists where the pattern spread out across the tops of her hands. "When the ink fades…the period of mourning is over," Kate tells her quietly, "we must move on with our lives."

"Then why are you…updating it?" Nyota asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Because I refuse to let Kazek go," Kate says softly, "on Romulus…when the ink fades we must move on. In the case of losing a mate, we must take another. It is the way of things on Romulus," Kate explains easily, "The Romulans believe that to be a productive member of society and to support the Empire we must marry and produce children. We do not help the Empire by refusing to mate or produce children and therefore by extension we are exiled. If we do not help, we do not earn the right to be considered a citizen of Romulus."

"That's barbaric," Nyota says as she screws up her face in disgust.

"That is the way of things," Kate shrugs easily, "I update my tattoo's because I am adding onto them anyways, and I had no time to finish them. I was in the process of adding on for Romulus and Vulcan both when Nero brought you back to the hotel."

"You made one for Vulcan?" Nyota asks softly.

"Yes," Kate says with a faint nod, "I can't help but feel responsible for its destruction. I feel that if perhaps I'd reached Nero before he destroyed Vulcan…perhaps the planet would not have been destroyed."

"You couldn't have stopped him," Nyota says earnestly, "nothing could have."

"Oh I think I could have," Kate sighs heavily, "I think I could have convinced him."

"You don't have to worry about him anymore you know," Nyota says gently, "He can't get to us here. You and the baby are safe."

Kate glances at her, a hard look on her face as she meets Nyota's eyes, "Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that."

The seriousness of Kate's expression gives Nyota pause. She considers her options before continuing, "What makes you think that?"

Kate snorts derisively, "Clearly you don't know anything about Romulans."

"I know enough to see that they don't stand a chance against a federation ship," Nyota points out.

"Now perhaps," Kate alludes quietly, "but in the future…the tables have turned."

Nyota considers the _Narada_ for a moment and blinks at the memory of the Klingon ships as she turns to look at Kate, "How did you find those ships anyways?"

"What ships?" Kate asks with a frown and then raises her eyebrows in understanding, "Oh. The Klingon ships, yeah. I ran across those being built when I first got here. Threw me for a loop. I was so confused there were like twenty versions of the _Narada_ around me and not one of them was Nero's ship."

"How did Nero end up on that Romulan war bird?" Nyota asks after a pause.

"That was my fault," Kate grimaces, "we were hungry…cold…my cruiser's life support system was faulty so the heating went out. And as you know space is freaking_cold_…" Kate sighs heavily, "we landed on this outpost planet in the Romulan Neutral zone looking for food," Kate explains, "The baby needed formula, diapers…a million other things…and so we split up to search the little village we'd found."

Nyota watches Kate set the pen down and stand, twisting her fingers together nervously as she paces the room and tells her story, "I was exploring this little market, and using whatever money I had left to buy food and diapers. Nero was just ahead of me, doing whatever it is Nero does while the women shop," Kate chuckles quietly to herself, "and then he comes up to me out of the blue holding this little green blanket embellished with Romulan nursery rhythms. It was beautiful…I took it and wrapped Nuhir up in it…he loves that blanket I will have you know," Kate laughs, "and I insisted that we explore more. I all but dragged Nero down through the village, he kept telling me we should go back…but I was so sick of being on that damn cruiser. I wanted to be on a planet for just a little while, so he indulged me even if it was a bit begrudgingly. We were listening to this little Romulan quartet playing in a nearby park; it reminded me of a song Kazek used to play for me, when we heard screaming and yelling just behind us. Romulan soldiers had spotted Nero. I had no idea they would even be looking for him. Everybody thought he was dead so why worry right?" Kate sighs heavily and rubs her face tiredly, "We were cornered and Nero…stupid stubborn_ insane_ Nero…he told me to run with the baby and he held them off. So Nuhir and I got away and he got captured."

"What did you do then?" Nyota asks with a frown.

"I left…as quickly as I could and once I was in orbit I took a few moments to have a complete and total meltdown. I promised Mandana…promised her I'd look after him, and I'd just lost him to the Romulan military," Kate groans aloud, "I felt like such an idiot…but I knew Nero would find his way back to us so I went to Qu'yul and waited. It was the planet we decided to meet up at if we got separated."

"You just…waited?" Nyota asks incredulously with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes," Kate rolls her eyes, "I had a baby...I couldn't take him with me and I would not leave him with anyone."

"Makes sense," Nyota shrugs and then tilts her head to one side, "Can I see…" she says, motioning towards Kate's back.

"Oh yeah, sure," Kate says as she turns her back to Nyota so that she can lift up the back of Kate's tank top.

"Wow. These are…deeper," Nyota says as she examines the tattoos across Kate's back, "From a xenolinguistic point of view, these are fascinating."

"They're deeper because Nero did them," Kate adds as Nyota examines them, "He's got a heavier hand then me and he feels that the marks should never fade because, as he puts it, when Romulus burned we burned with it and when our love ones died, we died with them. All that is left is revenge."

"But you don't believe that?" Nyota questions thoughtfully.

"No," Kate sighs as she tugs her tank top back down, "I know Spock didn't let Romulus be destroyed on purpose."

"What was Nero after?" Nyota presses quietly, gazing intently at Kate.

"He _thinks_ that the federation is responsible for Romulus's destruction. That they somehow conspired to trigger the Hobus star to go supernova early. But _I_ think someone else did it."

"Like who?" Nyota frowns.

"That's a good question," Kate says with a sigh.

Nyota taps her chin thoughtfully for a moment before deciding to change the subject. "So explain this to me. How is it he managed to mind-meld with me?"

"The drugs," Kate murmurs quietly, "another irritating problem I have with him," she sighs heavily, "I have spent a long time trying to break him from that stuff. He wanted it because whenever he took it he claimed he could see Mandana. He told me he could think clearly for the first time in ages. I told him he should just learn to mediate like the Vulcans did and he'd be clear minded enough then…" Kate grouses irritably, "I can't tell you how many times he's woken me up half-crazy and really fucking _strong_," Kate frowns, "I mean…the stuff he'd been using before hadn't done that but then he got a hold of this other stuff, this really powerful chemical. He was scaring the hell out of me. I wouldn't let him near Nuhir when he was like that and I demanded he stop using it for the sake of his son. _Apparently_ his son is the only card I have and he stopped using it."

"Not soon enough," Nyota mutters dryly.

"I wonder what kind of chemical compound would do that to Romulan physiology?" Nyota ponders curiously.

"I have no idea…he was buying it from some back-door smuggler from the Deltan planets," Kate shrugs and shakes her head, "They're psychic like Vulcan's aren't they?" Kate frowns at Nyota, "I bet McCoy could figure it out."

"Possibly," Nyota nods as she considers her options thoughtfully.

* * *

**Medical Bay**

Nyota glided into the medical bay, checking the time quickly on her chronometer as she approached McCoy. "Hey," she says with a smile, "you asked to see me?"

"Yeah, walk with me," McCoy says as he turns towards his office.

Nyota follows thoughtfully, noting the concerned look on McCoy's face. As they enter his office and he shuts the door behind them, she starts to think there is something more wrong here then he is letting on.

"How much do you know about this Kate woman?" McCoy asks as he sits down at his desk.

Nyota sits down across from him and frowns in his direction, "Not much, only that she, Nuhir, and Nero are the only three survivors of Romulus's destruction."

"Really?" McCoy asks with a raised eyebrow, "I got the blood work back on the baby."

Nyota watches as he tosses a folder down on the desk in front of her and she flips it open, examining the contents carefully.

"You see, when I found out that the baby was a Romulan and Human hybrid naturally I was excited, I'd never seen one before," McCoy explains easily, "I did blood work to examine the DNA strands, took samples…you know the usual checkup."

"And?" Nyota asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Well you see normally," McCoy says as he flips a page inside the folder and points to what appeared to be DNA strands, "Children like Nuhir have to be genetically manipulated, like Spock…a Human cannot naturally conceive a child with Vulcan or a Romulan alike."

"Alright…so what does this have to do with Nuhir?" Nyota frowns.

McCoy sighs and rubs his face. "You see this here?" He says as he points to one of the DNA strands, "This is an example of pure Romulan DNA, and this second one here is an example of hybrid DNA specifically Spock's, Now because Romulans and Vulcan's are similar I used his DNA strand to compare and discovered something kind of strange."

"Like what?" Nyota frowns as she examines the third strand on the page, running her fingers over the printed image.

"This is Nuhir's DNA strand, and as you can see something very important is missing," McCoy says as he points towards the differences between Spock and Nuhir's DNA, "the human encoding is missing."

Nyota stares at the page as the wheels start turning in her head, recalling the stories Kate has told her and then Nero's behavior towards the child, McCoy's voice startles her from her revelry and she blinks up at him as he speaks, "That baby is full Romulan."

* * *

**Two Hours Later…**

"You lied to me," Nyota hisses angrily.

"I couldn't tell you," Kate admits quietly.

"Yes you could have. What did you think we were going to do? Take him away from you?" Nyota snarls irritably.

"It's complicated," Kate frowns as she stares at her hands with a heavy sigh.

"Explain it. _Now_," Nyota snaps.

"When I saved Mandana, she wasn't only badly injured she was in labor," Kate says quietly as she stares at the far wall, deep in memory, "Her wounds were fatal…I knew it. She knew it. But she wanted to save the baby."

"So…she died in labor?" Nyota concluded.

"Yes," Kate nods, "She gave birth to Nuhir, and then just before she died she made me promise to take care of him…of Nero. They were her family and Mandana was fiercely protective of the people she loves."

"So you stayed," Nyota blinks at her as the puzzle pieces finally fall into place.

"Yes," Kate sighs as she rubs her face, "When I found Nero…everything in me screamed that I should let him die. But that tiny little nagging voice in the back of my head…it kept telling me to save him….so I did."

"You should have let him _die_," Nyota grouses, "What kind of life could Nuhir have with that man?"

"I know," Kate frowns at her, "I realize that. Believe me, I thought about it from every angle. Did everything short of making a fucking _list_," she snaps, "I didn't want to lie to him though. I didn't want to have to tell him some fantastical story about how his parents died heroically trying to save Romulus or some such bullshit. He deserved to know the truth. I couldn't tell Nuhir that I let his father die…that's more than any child should ever have to handle…ever have to know."

"So you saved him," Nyota nods, "and when you realized he was completely unhinged why didn't you just run?"

"Nero…Nero wouldn't let me leave with Nuhir…" Kate shakes her head, "when I first beamed him aboard I wasn't sure what state of mind he'd be in…I knew it wouldn't be good but I didn't expect him to be catatonic. He was like that for hours…just staring blankly off into space and then out of the blue he just went postal. Absolute raging lunatic. Once I managed to explain what was going on…what was happening…" Kate wipes away the burning tears in her eyes absentmindedly as she speaks, "I kept thinking maybe if I'd gotten to him sooner…before Vulcan was destroyed…maybe Nuhir would have given him pause."

"I _seriously_ doubt you've got _anything_ up your sleeve that could have stopped him…did you not see how crazy he is?" Nyota says drily.

Kate sighs heavily and rubs her temples, "What do you want me to say?" she says in a low voice that depicts nothing but irritation and anger, "That I ignorantly saved him out of the compassion of my own heart? That I saved him because of my deep and infinite love for my best friend?" she hisses mockingly, "That I didn't know that Nero would be so horrible? I knew…I knew exactly what I was doing and I did it anyways. I did it because Nuhir shouldn't have to live without his parents. I stayed because Nero hadn't a fucking clue how to raise a child and he needed me. I stayed because Nero wasn't a very great example for him. He needed someone to protect him from the darkness in Nero. You see, what you don't seem to understand here, Nyota, is that even the purest people are capable of terrible things if given the right motivation. Nero was a _good_ man. He was one of the best, and look what he's become. He's a raging megalomaniac bent on the destruction of half the fucking universe. All because the love of his life and his planet burned…destroyed." Kate sighs, "People aren't born inherently evil, they're made. And Nero was driven insane by everything that has happened to him…what?" Kate chuckles as she meets Nyota's gaze, "You think _Spock_ isn't capable of it? Because believe me, he _is_."

"Spock lost his mother and his entire planet and he's not running around the galaxy in a big pointy ship trying to blow up Romulus now is he?" Nyota snaps with narrowed eyes.

"What and you think the thought hasn't crossed his mind?" Kate scoffs, "You think your innocent Vulcan lover wouldn't shove Nero's ass out of an airlock given the chance? Please, I've been down that road, I contemplated throwing Nero out of an airlock several times. Even broke down the mechanics of a plan for it. He murdered_billions_ of innocent people. I _hate_ him for it. I hate him and I care about him. It's a dizzying combination believe me." Kate finished darkly.

"Regardless," McCoy says quietly, "That kid would probably have been better off without him."

"And yet you aren't the one who'd have to explain it to him are you?" Kate glares at McCoy, "You know when I beamed Nero aboard, when I watched him hold his dead wife in his arms and cradle his new born son to his chest, I realized that even under all that darkness…deep inside him somewhere there is just a pinch of goodness left. Even if he thinks it's all gone and burned away, smothered by hatred."

"Oh please," Nyota rolls her eyes, "You don't actually think you can _save_ him do you?"

"No," Kate shrugs, "I know what he's done. I'm not about to defend his actions and I'm not one of those women who blindly believes they can fix a man."

Nyota nods as she ponders everything, turning her gaze towards McCoy, "We can catch him now," she tells him pointedly and then looks back at Kate, "Look…you and I both know what he did was wrong. You don't want Nuhir around him, so why do you help us catch him instead?"

"I'm not putting an innocent _baby_ in harm's way," Kate frowns.

"That baby is Nero's weakness. He'll come for Nuhir. I saw his face on Qu'yul. He was terrified, downright _desperate_ to get to you and Nuhir. If we set up the trap, he'll walk right into it." Nyota tells her evenly.

"And then what?" Kate asks quietly.

"Then we turn him over to the Vulcans," Nyota responds as she watches the flicker of emotions playing across Kate's face thoughtfully.

"They'll kill him," Kate says even more softly then before.

"They will most likely," Nyota nods, "They'll probably execute him for his crimes. Romulus will have to tolerate it. They don't want to pick a fight with us right now; we've got to many allies. You know this is the right thing to do Kate. This way you'll be free. You can take Nuhir somewhere safe and raise him properly, in a house with a white picket fence and a dog. His first day of school, first birthday, it's all yours. You won't have to keep running anymore."

"What will I tell Nuhir?" she says as she stares at her hands.

"You tell him the truth," Nyota says gently as she takes Kate's hands within her own, "You tell him his father was the war criminal Nero…and when he's old enough you explain it in more detail. You don't tell him the gory stuff until he's grown. At least this way…this way you don't have to tell him you let his father die."

* * *

**Enterprise**

**Mess Hall**

"You know," Kirk says as he savors the last bit of plomeek soup from his spoon, "there is something to be said about Vulcan food."

"This current creation is highly lax," Spock frowns down at his bowl, "I do not recall it being embellished with sodium chloride."

"What?" Kirk frowns at him.

"Salt," Nyota supplies easily as she finishes her dinner, "They don't normally put salt in plomeek soup…it's kind of odd isn't it?"

"Indeed," Spock nods thoughtfully.

"So," Kirk says as he leans back in his seat, "You want to trap him?"

"The baby is our best chance," Nyota explains simply, "We need to be discreet…hide them both in a safe house at one of our outposts…make it look like were trying to hide her from him."

"Nero has no ship, no allies. How do you expect him to find her?" Kirk says skeptically.

Nyota makes a face, "Yeah, Chekov said the same thing earlier, "The other idea was that we could take her to a safe planet…somewhere they both agreed to meet up on in the event that she and Nero were separated."

"Which planet?" Kirk says with a quirked eyebrow.

"Don't know yet," Nyota shrugs, "she hasn't decided which one. She needs this to be believable. Nero isn't stupid; he won't believe that she just escaped easily with a baby. So we have to help her make this look believable. Make it look like were looking for her."

"So we figure out which planet and beam her down with the kid. She goes to hide wherever it is she's supposed to hide and we wait." Kirk nods thoughtfully.

"Not so easy," Nyota shakes her head, "First thing Nero is going to do is look for federation ships. We need to take a group of us down to the surface dressed in civilian clothes and hide out with her. She said it might take weeks before Nero shows up. He's going to be cautious."

"Sounds like shore leave to me," Kirk smirks at her, "With a little danger of course, but it wouldn't be much fun otherwise."

"Captain, I do not believe–" Spock begins but Kirk cuts him off.

"I know, Spock," Kirk says pointedly as he looks at his first officer, "This isn't a game, this is a trap. A trap we all have to be careful in if we're going to do this. Nero has to believe it's safe to go and get Kate and the baby. We need to be completely incognito for this one."

"Like how deep?" Nyota asks with a raised eyebrow.

"We'll," Kirk grins at his fellow officers, "I've always wondered what it would be like to have pointy ears."


	8. Play Pretend

Disclaimer: I don't own or make any money from any of this; it all belongs to those who created Star Trek.

A/N: Very much adult content from here on out people, so just be aware.

* * *

**Enterprise (Nyota's POV)**

"Not _again_," Nyota grumbles as she watches Spock from her perch on his bed. It should be a law that no Vulcan was allowed to shave their heads. To watch that silky black mass of sexy Vulcan hair tumble to the ground _again_ was absolute torture.

"Nyota I am aware of your intense discomfort with my decision as you have previously stated before when I required your silence so that I could infiltrate my wayward Vulcan people upon their mission to destroy Romulus, but this is once again necessary to blend in," Spock tells her pointedly as he finishes.

It was insanity, an absolute monstrosity to watch him shave his head, to cut away the sexy love handles that were her stability during sex? She realizes he is staring at her intently from the bathroom and she blinks, wondering if he'd said something. It takes her a few moments to respond, her mouth working as she struggles to form words, "Not all Romulans are bald."

_There_.

He quirks an eyebrow at her and she sighs inwardly and meets his gaze, "As the nature of the planet we are going to is considerably…lax…in its enforcement of planetary law, I must endeavor to appear part of the multitude."

"Because Nero would spot you a mile away as if you had a giant neon green sign above your head, I know, Nero is in love with you," Nyota says as she rubs her face.

This time both his eyebrows fly upwards and if he hadn't cut off all his gorgeous hair they would have disappeared under his sexy bangs. "Nyota…though the elucidation of your statement is lacking, I would agree that Nero has a certain fixation on me. However I may remind you that you must also prepare," he says as he motions towards the neatly folded pile of shimmery gold cloth. Beside it was a jar full of iridescent colored green paint.

If Gaila were here she'd be shitting _bricks_.

"I can't believe I let Kirk talk me into this," Nyota frowns deeply.

"Do you need help administering the paint Nyota?" Spock asks with a curious gaze as he watches her strip off her clothes. "Probably," Nyota agrees with a nod, "My back mostly…I mean I won—…" Nyota begins but cuts off when she realizes he's in front of her. He hadn't even bothered to wait for an answer and she thinks with a little inward smile that he is such a _man_. His fingers are already sliding across her bare skin, smearing green paint down her arms in soothing patterns. She is watching his fingers, fingers that had touched parts of her she never let anyone else touch, fingers that were currently (technically) trailing hot kisses down her arms and across her shoulders. They sent warm electrical currents tingling across her skin, her eyes drooping and heat pooling between her thighs. Spock was stoic as ever though, as he methodically smoothed the paint across her body. She was trying very hard not to think dirty thoughts, chanting _touch telepath _in her head like a mantra to keep her mind from straying. His hot hands were sliding over her stomach now and then down across her hips, playing little circles across her skin.

"Nyota…your breathing has accelerated…is the paint causing an ill-effect?" He asks with a quirked eyebrow.

"No," Nyota say as she takes a deep breath to calm herself down. It was ridiculous that this man could turn her on when he was just smearing paint all over her. Honestly what was sexy about a guy smearing paint all over you? She bites her lip to suppress the unexpected moan that tries to burst from her lips when his hands slide in between her thighs, smoothing the paint down over her legs to her feet. She doesn't think that she'll really need the paint everywhere, but Spock seemed perfectly content to do so.

"Nyota," Spock's voice cuts into her inner monologue and she blinks down at him curiously, "Is there a particular reason as to why you continue to remind me of my telepathic abilities?"

_Shit!_

Nyota opens her mouth and then shuts it, shaking her head in response, watching his eyebrow quirk thoughtfully before he scoops up more of the green paint and proceeds to (hopefully!) smooth it over in a place that desperately needs attention (Like _right now_!)

To her dismay he stands and proceeds to cover her back, Nyota pulling her hair over her shoulder so that he could get to her neck. When he was finished with her back she kneels to pick up the jar, but stops at the feel of one of his fingers hooking into her underwear, tugging it down gently.

"Spock…I don't think," she stammers because the breath has been all but knocked out of her, his hot hands now sliding over her backside.

"We must be thorough," he says evenly as he retrieves more paint from the jar. She is about to protest that statement when his fingers slide over the sensitive place between her legs, her knees suddenly turning to jelly beneath her. She swallows thickly and knows _exactly_ what he is doing now, and is also certain that he saw right through her little mental mantra. He racks the edges of his nails over that special place and Nyota moans aloud this time, blinking feverishly as she tries to control her breathing.

"Nyota," Spock scolds lightly, "hold still."

She grits her teeth and holds herself motionless; she is rewarded shortly after with the hot flat tip of his tongue, her eyes drifting closed in bliss. He is inhaling her scent and she is suddenly certain that later on she will not be the only one covered in green paint. His fingers are spreading her legs farther apart so he can slide them elsewhere, into the hot core of her. She will collapse if he continues on like this, the dance of his tongue and fingers between her legs felt like some kind of fiery bliss. He was so hot, his skin was so warm and all she could suddenly think about was encasing that heat within her. His fingers and mouth abruptly pulled away from her. She let out a small cry of protest even as he lifted her in his arms and went to sit on the edge of the bed.

She yelped as he snapped the bra right off of her with a casual display of strength, his mouth finding her over sensitized breasts as one hand clamped down on her hip and the other worked at the buttons of his pants.

"Paint," Nyota tries to gasp out, the last of the syllables being pushed out in a rush as he lifts her up and promptly impales her upon himself, Nyota's hands shaky and desperate as her nails dug into his shoulders. "_Oh_…" Nyota moans and buries her face in his neck as his hands hold her hips in place so that he can thrust up into her sharply in slow hard motions. She is on fire, her body hot and aching just as the heat of him is burning her insides, sliding ruthlessly, mercilessly in and out of her over sensitized body. She thinks she might burn up from the heat, feels the slick sweat of her body sliding against his bare chest and vaguely wonders when he'd taken his shirt off.

The agonizing (_fantastic_) roll of his hips continues on for what seems like hours, his hot breath against the skin just below her ear, her body trembling in the fierce need for release. Finally when she thought she would go insane if he didn't move faster he picked up his pace, his body slamming into hers at a pace that left her breathless. He lets out a sharp gasp and sinks his teeth into her shoulder so sharply she yelps in pain, his fingers digging into her hips as he holds her in place, pushing into her until their pelvis's are pressed together. She feels the hot seed of him filling her and she shivers as her own release is triggered by the sensation, whimpering against his shoulder with her nails digging into his back, racking thin green marks across his skin.

It takes them several moments to calm down, to get their breath back to normal before she gentle detangles herself from his embrace and goes into the bathroom to clean up. She can't suppress the little smile of triumph when she hears him slump back against the bed, glad to know that she wasn't the only one being affected by their love making.

* * *

It is two hours later when they finally emerge from Nyota's quarters, her hair slicked back and hidden under a dark red wig, fiery ringlets framing her fair as she walks the corridors of the Enterprise beside Spock who received several odd glances, mostly because he was bald and secondly because of his attire.

He looked like a Romulan.

Irritably she tries not to rub her eyes, hates the gold colored contacts in her eyes because she isn't used to them. She's got a long black robe on over the shimmery gold attire she wears, mostly because Spock didn't particularly like the idea of her parading around half-naked on the Enterprise for all to see, and secondly because _she _didn't like the idea either.

When they reach the medical bay McCoy is standing there still working on a strange looking contraption that look suspiciously like a modified air tank for one of their space suits.

"Ok, I think I have this right now…" McCoy mumbles while Scottie is kneeling beside the bed where it sits, tinkering with the release valve, "_You_?" he quips with a quirked eyebrow, "_you've_ been standing there scratchin yer chin for alf' an hour while I've done all the work!"

Behind Scottie an Orion sits, one of Gaila's friends Nyota recalls, and smiles at her faintly as the Orion stands up and approaches her, rubbing her arm gingerly as she does, "I've given all I can," she tells Nyota with a half-smile, "Gaila would have _loved_ to see you like this."

"Thank you," Nyota says as she pats her shoulder, "Just…remind me how this works again?"

"Ok," says the Orion in question, "That thing," she points to the machine on the bed, "Is going to emit a low level pheromone count, _my pheromones_," she says pointedly with a raised eyebrow and a small grin, "and all you have to do is walk around a look pretty. Depending on the level of pheromones you set it to release…it should get you in anywhere you want to go and help you do whatever you've got to do."

"Ok…and I can hide that thing under my clothes?" Nyota asks with a quirked eyebrow. Scottie's head pops up from beside the bed to look at her and nods, "I made it small enough to strap onto yer hip under yer' clothes…" he tells her as he stands, "It's flat enough to be unnoticeable but just be careful…if the emitter gets stuck on full blast you could be wandering around that planet being chased by every man within a hundred mile radius," Scottie finishes with a chuckle though Spock clearly does not find this amusing, his flat expression directed at Scottie from beside Nyota.

"Do Gaila justice," the Orion grins at Nyota with a wink; "and just remember…let the pheromones do the talking…you just smile pretty and shake your hips," ignoring the irritated look Spock gives her she then sweeps out of the room.

"This is going to be interesting," Nyota says with raised eyebrows.

"What is?" Kirk says as he steps into the medical bay.

Nyota suppresses the sudden urge to giggle when she sees him, unable to take her eyes off of the carefully applied upswept eyebrows on his face. His ears were pointed though she could tell he must have had to re-do them several times to get them right.

"_Wow_…" Kirk says with raised eyebrows as he takes in Nyota's appearance.

"I'll say," Nyota smirks at Kirk as she takes in his appearance.

"They itch," Kirk mumbles as he toys with the point of one of his ears, "I don't know how you Vulcans can stand it."

"Perhaps it is the plastic used to create your prosthetics Captain," Spock suggests casually, "As mine are real, I do not have the same problem."

Nyota smirks at the exchange between the two men and takes the machine Scottie built and straps it to her hip under the sheer material of her skirt. She takes the little remote for it and examines it carefully as Scottie moves around the bed to stand before her, "That controls it. Blue button turns it on, Green button raises the pheromone levels and the red button lowers them."

Nyota nods, pocketing the remote before turning to look at the other two men, "Ready?"

* * *

**Planet R'ahal **

The group stood on the transport platform, trying desperately not to stare at each other. It was awkward enough that Nyota was wearing a rather revealing flimsy gold garment, her midriff bare and a fair amount of cleavage on display. The dress had belonged to Gaila, and Gaila had given it to her years ago in the hopes of enticing her sexy professor. She'd never had the nerve to wear it for him, and from the hungry looks she gets from him she starts to wish she had. The idea of him bending her over his desk in his instructor's suit, taking her from behind…

"Nyota," Spock clears his throat and she nearly jumps a foot in the air, suppressing the urge to gasp as she's startled from her revelry. Blinking into the morning light of the planet she hadn't realized they'd even been beamed down.

"Right," Nyota murmurs and slips into character, activating the device skillfully hidden just under the waistband of her skirt, strapped to her hip. The reaction was almost instantaneous, even Kirk was shooting glances at her more than normal. She tries to ignore it, takes a deep breath and walks just the way she remember Gaila used to walk when she was flirting with the boys back on the academy campus. The group splits up; Kirk trails along behind Kate whose carrying Nuhir in her arms. Kirk had managed to make himself look nearly unrecognizable, and strangely enough just a little bit handsome. She had to admit he _did_ look good with pointed ears and epic eyebrows.

The plan was simple enough; she would find a job in a local bar and pretend to be a simple Orion woman looking for work. Spock would shadow her, pretending to be a renegade Romulan wandering the system and Kirk would be the same. It wasn't hard to blend in on this planet; many Romulans frequented it as well as hundreds of other different species. She knew it wouldn't be hard to get a job at one of the local bars; an Orion would be a valuable addition to their staff.

A week later and they were still pretending, still hiding behind a disguise. Nyota was running her usual shift at the Stars and Moons bar, serving species of many different kinds. She shimmied her way through the crowd, a gentle sashay to her hips as she walked. She smiled pretty and flicked a stray red curl of hair over one shoulder as she bent low to set drinks down on the table for a group of Andorian gentlemen.

"_Such a pretty specimen,"_ croons one of them in Andorian as a hand strays just a little too intimately across her backside.

"_My master would be displeased," _she croons back but smiles coyly at him, letting the pheromones build up in the man's system. If she stood there long enough she could have him eating out of the palm of her hand, could make him stand on his head if she wanted him too.

_Just you wait buddy…_

"Naili," calls the bartender as he motions to a Deltan man sitting at the table in the center of the room, "You've got a customer." Nyota sighs inwardly; plastering the brightest smile she had on her lips and let the pheromones do their job. She sways gracefully as she climbs up onto the table, her fingers curling around the electric blue shimmery colored pole in the center of the table. The man at her feet is crooning delightfully, sliding Orion currency across the table as she dances. She dips and sways, sliding her thighs up the pole and then pulling herself upward before sliding back down again, using the pheromones to her best advantage. The man is enthralled, and she bats her eyelashes at him, smiling vicariously.

Her eyes drift to another man sitting towards the back of the bar, a Romulan man with dark eyes that were raking over her barely concealed form with undisguised hunger. She was proud of Spock; it must have taken him a lot of will power to allow his emotions to play across his face. He did not particularly like her job, he didn't like the men that would grab at her, he didn't like the way she smiled at them. He _hated_ watching her dance for them so she kept her eyes on him, let her body slide up the pole for _him_, imagined it was _him_ she was dancing for and nobody else.

She curls her tongue over her lips as she dips low, giving him an enticing glance at her cleavage as the song ends and she collects the money left on the table at her feet. When she steps off she picks up her tray again, tries to ignore the many pairs of eyes on her, following her every move as she walks through the bar.

Being an Orion was difficult.

Then again the pheromones were a great advantage; they gave her the power she needed to get information out of people. So far they hadn't seen or heard from Nero, and knew of no one who knew where he is. A week in and she was already getting tired of this charade, a week in and _Spock_ was getting tired of sharing her. It was a great strain on his control to watch her parade herself before all those men, letting them grab at her and slip money into the waist band of her skirt. She approaches him with another glass of _kvass_, the sound of tiny bells jingling around her ankles and wrists as she walks.

"You're kvass sir," she says politely, setting the glass down on the table before him. He is watching her intently and she can tell he's irritated with her. He's fighting the urge to drag her out of the establishment and cart her off to parts unknown, away from the prying eyes of the other men in the room.

"Dance," he murmurs gruffly and tosses Orion currency onto the table. She blinks at him because he's never asked her to do this, never asked her to dance specifically for _him_. She sets her tray aside and takes the money, sliding it into her bra and climbs up onto the table. It doesn't take long as she sways to the music, dips seductively and pulls herself up onto the pole, feeling all the world like a wanton woman, knows that somewhere out there Gaila is cheering her on. She feels intensely daring and tries something knew, enjoys the way his irises are completely blown and disappear into the darkness of his eyes, her body flipped upside down as she uses all of her upper body strength to slide down the pole.

_Go me!_

Feeling quite proud of her accomplishment she lowers herself to the table, her knees bent and spread enticingly before him, watching his gaze as it fixates between her thighs. She knows he can smell the arousal, sees her eyes dilating and a wanton smirk curving her lips. She has her back pressed up against the pole, uses her leg muscles to push herself upward slowly only to drop back down again. His hand shoots out and she suppresses a gasp, feels his fingers sliding over the machine at her hip as he adjusts the gold cloth that was concealing it from view if the skirt were to slide to high.

"Hey!" the bartender calls with a deep scowl on his lips, "No touching the dancers!"

"It's alright Barithi," she calls back; "I've got this."

Wickedly, wantonly she lets her legs slide off the table and over the sides of his chair, lowering herself down. She hovers just above his lap, so close and yet not touching as she sways before him, watching his eyes rack over the play of muscles in her abdomen, the way her legs twist and turn to the beat of the song. She tries not to let her shock show when his fingers curl against the heat of her, sliding across her core through her underwear.

_I can't believe were doing this in public…_

She gets the sudden urge to kiss him, to bite his lower lip and suck it between her teeth and she hears his sudden and sharp intake of breath, knows that he felt that urge through his fingertips. How many times has she fantasied about doing this for him, about dancing for him in his quarters while he's wearing that tight black instructor's suit, sitting on his couch in a nonchalant way, regarding her with cool Vulcan stoicism as she dips and sways and slides her hands all over her body for him. When this was all over she was going to make him wear that damn suit so she could live out her fantasy in private. Quite possibly wearing that golden dress Gaila had given her...she wondered if they could have his desk brought aboard...

_Oh his fingers…oh yes…_

His fingers were in the form of the ozh'esta, and anyone who knew Vulcan's would know that this is how they kiss. He was pressing lovely telepathic kisses against her heat, and she was trying very hard not to tremble under his touch. When the song ends she steps away from him, away from the heat of his skin and breath, away from the touch of his fingers.

* * *

Later that evening when her shift was over she'd return to the rented cottage on the outskirts of town. It was nice enough, with a full size bed and a couch and there was even a bathroom with a well-stocked kitchen. Granted it was Nyota who did the shopping and filled it up with the necessities. Her communicator rings just as she steps inside, and flips it open, looks down at Kirk's smirking face and rolls her eyes.

"Yes?"

"Hey…just checking in…how's progress going?" Kirk asks as he reclines back on the couch in his hotel room.

"Same as usual…same job…same people grabbing my ass," Nyota grouses quietly.

"Hey," Kirk says with a shrug, "Nero would never see that coming."

"The shit I do for this job," Nyota grumbles and shakes her head with a roll of her eyes.

"I'm not exactly having a blast over here babysitting," Kirk says with a quirked eyebrow, "Do you have any idea how hard it is to pretend to be Romulan?"

"Not really," Nyota says drily, "You've got a translator chip in your skin…there shouldn't be any problem."

"Still…I have nothing to do…I'm _supposed_ to be babysitting when I'm not supposed to be babysitting…so I get stuck sitting around in bars flirting with women all night while I pretend to be babysitting."

"It was your idea," Nyota tells him as she starts dinner.

"I know," Kirk sighs, "it's just boring doing nothing waiting for Nero."

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Nyota asks with a raised eyebrow, "Kate seemed pretty serious about this….Jim I really think she means it this time…I think she might be serious about helping us."

"I doubt it," Kirk says as he wrinkles his nose, "but just in case McCoy is tracking her."

"He did?" Nyota says with a raised eyebrow.

"Yep," Kirk grins at her, "she thinks he just gave her a vaccine shot but he really injected a tiny microscopic chip."

"Tracking device," Nyota nods, "we've all got one."

"I know," Kirk wiggles his eyebrows and she thinks that for a moment he's been planning this the whole time.

"You're counting on her to run aren't you?" Nyota blinks at him.

"Yep," Kirk's grin becomes wider.

"You think she'll lead us right to Nero," Nyota continues on.

"Yep," Kirk says and if his grin was any wider it could be painful.

"Jim…how do we know for certain she'll run? I mean yes…I have my doubts but at the same time…I saw it in her eyes Jim…she's tired of running."

"She'll run," Kirk shrugs, "and on the off chance that she doesn't, Nero will probably come looking for her."

"Or kidnap her while your babysitting but not babysitting," Nyota says pointedly.

"Even if he kidnaps her, we can track them," Kirk smirks, "it's a win-win situation."

"I hope your right," Nyota murmurs as she hears the front door swing open. Spock is standing in the living room watching her quietly, pulling his coat off.

"Hey I'll call you later I've got to go," Nyota says and flips it shut before Kirk can reply.

"Hey," Nyota says as he enters the kitchen, a dark look in his eyes.

"_This one desires your touch,"_ he says in such a way it sends shivers down her spine.

"_This one will submit," _she murmurs back, his eyes blackening with intent as she replies.


End file.
